Clara Rodriguez has joined McGuireWoods as the firm’s new chief marketing and business development officer. Rodriguez brings more than two decades of experience leading strategic marketing and client initiatives and leveraging competitive intelligence, industry analytics and client engagement to target meaningful growth at Am Law 100 firms.
Rodriguez will utilize digital marketing, emerging technologies and the collective talent of McGuireWoods professionals to identify opportunities for growth and strengthen the firm’s leadership position in key sectors including energy, healthcare and life sciences, private equity and technology.
“Clara is a creative, forward-thinking leader who will play an important role elevating the McGuireWoods brand, developing new business opportunities, and deploying AI and other technologies to make us better problem-solvers for clients,” said Richard Davis, McGuireWoods’ chief operating officer.
J. Tracy Walker IV, the firm’s managing partner, added: “Clara excels at devising innovative strategies that will help us meet the evolving needs of our clients and ensure the firm stands apart in a highly competitive market.”
Rodriguez — who works from offices in Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia — comes to McGuireWoods after five years as business development officer at Proskauer Rose, where she led client engagement programs and directed marketing efforts across numerous industry groups. She previously served as director of client relations at Baker Botts and as business development and marketing director for Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe’s transactional practices.
“This is a moment of transformational change in the legal industry, with new challenges and exciting opportunities for growth,” Rodriguez said. “McGuireWoods already is a trailblazer thanks, in part, to initiatives such as MWAccel and the Emerging Manager Program, which play integral roles serving McGuireWoods clients and industry leaders. I look forward to harnessing my experience in business development, client engagement, storytelling and brand-building to execute strategies that raise the firm’s visibility and make McGuireWoods an even bigger force in the legal marketplace.”