McGuireWoods is a finalist in several categories for The American Lawyer Industry Awards, earning recognition for corporate purpose initiatives and innovative legal services. Partner George Keith Martin was selected as a finalist in the Best Mentor: Law Firm category.
The American Lawyer’s annual awards program honors exceptional work across the legal services spectrum. Winners will be announced at a Nov. 15, 2023, gala in New York.
McGuireWoods is a finalist for the Corporate Purpose Award for creating a Professional Staff D&I Council to advance diversity and inclusion initiatives for business professionals at the law firm and affiliate McGuireWoods Consulting. The council’s mission includes supporting D&I-related initiatives that intersect with the community, and providing professional development and learning opportunities that enhance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
The firm also is a finalist for Legal Services Innovation for creating a customized, mobile-friendly litigation alert program that automates research about new federal court filings to instantly provide lawyers with the information needed to communicate efficiently with clients. The program saves time and reduces the risk of errors and redundant contacts with clients.
The National Law Journal previously recognized the litigation alert program when it named McGuireWoods a 2023 “Legal Technology Trailblazer.” Financial Times also hailed the project, putting it on the shortlist in the client delivery category in 2022’s North America Innovative Lawyers Report.
In addition, Martin is a finalist in the Best Mentor: Law Firm category. Martin, former managing partner of the firm’s Richmond office, has mentored dozens of lawyers during his 45-year career. Outside the firm, Martin taught children at his church for 34 years. He also mentored middle-school students through Virginia Heroes, a nonprofit organization co-founded by tennis legend and Richmond native Arthur Ashe.
Martin has received numerous national, state and local honors for contributions to the law and public service. He sat on the executive committee that organized the Commemoration of the First African Landing ceremony in Hampton, Virginia, where enslaved African men and women were forcibly brought to English North America in August 1619. He was the first African American rector of the University of Virginia, his alma mater, where he also chaired the executive committee.