Five McGuireWoods partners have been selected as “Lawyer of the Year” finalists for the 2022 Women in Business Law Awards: Americas, presented by Euromoney’s Legal Media Group. The annual awards honor women lawyers and law firms for exemplary service and advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Winners will be announced at an awards gala on June 9, 2022.
The McGuireWoods partners who are finalists include:
Alicia “Ali” Baiardo (San Francisco), shortlisted for Litigator of the Year, represents three of the five largest U.S. banks and numerous Fortune 500 companies in multimillion-dollar class actions and other complex litigation, including cases alleging unfair competition, fraud and violations of consumer protection statutes.
Sabrina A. Beldner (Century City, California), a Labor & Employment Lawyer of the Year finalist, handles individual, class, representative and collective action claims and labor law matters. She also conducts employee misconduct investigations and management training on preventing workplace harassment, discrimination and retaliation. Beldner chairs the firm’s Labor & Employment Department.
Holly Buckley (Chicago), a Life Sciences Lawyer of the Year finalist, advises private equity sponsors and healthcare companies on transactional and regulatory matters. She also counsels clients on federal and state healthcare laws, including the Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, HIPAA, HITECH Act and corporate practice of medicine restrictions. She chairs the firm’s Healthcare Department.
Joanne Katsantonis (Richmond, Virginia), an Energy, Natural Resources and Mining Lawyer of the Year finalist, is a strategic adviser to energy companies and handles sophisticated M&A deals. She also advises on corporate structuring, governance issues, partnership and joint venture issues, and compliance and risk management. She serves as the firm’s deputy managing partner for development and formerly chaired the energy industry team.
Amber McGraw Walsh (Chicago), a Private Equity Lawyer of the Year finalist, represents healthcare providers in corporate transactions and regulatory matters. She helped establish the firm’s award-winning Women in Private Equity & Finance initiative and co-founded the firm’s annual Healthcare and Life Sciences Private Equity and Finance Conference. Walsh formerly chaired the firm’s Healthcare Department.
“We are proud that McGuireWoods’ deep bench of women leaders includes these five esteemed lawyers who are nationally recognized for leading landmark transactions and high-stakes cases, and for delivering outstanding service to clients across industries,” said managing partner J. Tracy Walker IV.