Virginia Lawyers Weekly selected McGuireWoods Richmond partner John Adams for its annual Leaders in the Law list honoring prominent lawyers across the commonwealth for significant accomplishments changing the law, serving the community and improving Virginia’s justice system. The honorees will be profiled in a special Virginia Lawyers Weekly supplement in October.
A leading white-collar defense lawyer, Adams represents corporations, boards and executives facing significant legal and reputational risk in criminal, regulatory, civil and congressional proceedings. He also argues appeals in courts across the country. He is a past chair of the firm’s nationally recognized Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Department.
Adams formerly was Associate Counsel to the President of the United States, where he represented the White House in congressional investigations and other matters. He also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he tried cases ranging from fraud to violent crime and managed grand jury investigations involving fraud, public corruption and other matters.
Adams clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Before becoming an attorney, Adams served as a U.S. naval officer and was deployed to the Persian Gulf and Central and South America.
Adams has taught appellate and trial advocacy as an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond School of Law and served as a Vice President of the VMI Foundation. Last year, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Adams to the VMI Board of Visitors.
“I am honored to be included in Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s class of distinguished lawyers,” Adams said. “I also am grateful to the wonderful lawyers and staff at McGuireWoods, as this is really a team award in my view.”
The 2023 Leaders in the Law class will be feted at an Oct. 24 reception at the John Marshall Ballrooms in Richmond.