McGuireWoods Launches in Seattle With Elite Litigation Team

Partners Advise Global Companies in Major Commercial and Product Liability Disputes

SEATTLE, Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- McGuireWoods is expanding into the Pacific Northwest with the launch of a Seattle office led by a nationally recognized team of litigators and appellate advocates, including two former U.S. Supreme Court clerks. The group counsels global companies in bet-the-company commercial and product liability disputes throughout the United States and abroad.

The nine founding partners deepen McGuireWoods' considerable capabilities in class actions, multidistrict litigation, commercial and product liability litigation, antitrust litigation, and appellate matters. Their arrival enhances McGuireWoods' lengthy roster of first-chair trial attorneys, accomplished appellate practitioners and strategic advisers who represent clients in their most significant matters in courtrooms and tribunals around the world. All were formerly with Perkins Coie's Seattle office.

"The opening of our Seattle office and the addition of this outstanding team achieve forward-looking objectives for McGuireWoods," said Jonathan Harmon, the firm's chairman. "This expansion elevates our market position and strengthens our ability to serve longstanding clients anchored in the Pacific Northwest. These partners also enrich our capabilities in practices and industry sectors that are pillars of our strategic plan and solidify our stature as a destination firm for high-performing talent. We will build on this foundation with additional litigation and transactional practices to deliver the highest level of service to clients and demonstrate our commitment to the Seattle community."

Rike Connelly serves as managing partner of McGuireWoods' Seattle office and co-leader of the firm's Business Litigation Practice Group. She previously led the firmwide business litigation practice at Perkins Coie. Connelly manages large-scale commercial litigation, including antitrust and intellectual property disputes, with a focus on matters in Washington state and multidistrict litigation.

The litigation team also includes partners Eric Wolff, Mack Shultz, Todd Rosencrans, Christopher Ledford, Judge Abdul Kallon, Daniel Ridlon and Monique Wirrick, many of whom led key practices and industry teams at Perkins Coie.

• Wolff, who co-chaired the appellate practice, is a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and former chief litigation counsel at The Boeing Company. He served as lead appellate lawyer in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana and was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, D.C. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

• Shultz served as the firmwide chair of the product liability litigation group. He represents companies across industries, including aviation, consumer electronics, virtual reality and medical devices. He also advises on strategies for mitigating risk exposure, responding to accidents and participating in government investigations. He has a Chambers USA nationwide ranking for aviation litigation.

• Rosencrans, who served as the vice chair of the product liability litigation group, has nearly 30 years of experience in complex product liability and aviation product liability litigation, warranty and contractual risk-allocation consulting, and civil litigation. At McGuireWoods, he will co-lead the firm's Aerospace & Defense Industry Team.

• Ledford defends manufacturers in the aviation, industrial, and consumer products sectors in complex product liability litigation and leads the resolution of commercial disputes. He also provides strategic advice to manufacturers regarding responses to accidents and government investigations. At McGuireWoods, he will co-lead the Product Liability & Mass Tort Litigation Practice Group.

• Judge Kallon served on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama from 2010 to 2022 and co-chaired Perkins' trial practice group. He advises leading companies in the technology, communications, retail and consumer products sectors in commercial litigation, multidistrict litigation, and labor and employment matters. He will be a senior member of McGuireWoods' Trials team.

• Ridlon co-chaired the autonomous and uncrewed vehicle systems industry group. He focuses on product liability litigation and regulatory compliance, representing manufacturers in matters involving a range of products, from cell phones to commercial aircraft. He will spearhead McGuireWoods' new Autonomous Vehicles practice.

• Wirrick represents clients in cases involving aviation accidents, consumer products and toxic torts, drawing on her technical background as a former engineer for a large aircraft manufacturer.

McGuireWoods' Seattle team also includes partner Michael Scoville, who joined the firm in 2024. Scoville, a former federal prosecutor and law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, represents global companies in government investigations and litigation. He co-leads McGuireWoods' Aerospace & Defense Industry Team and has a Chambers USA nationwide ranking for aviation litigation.

"As a group, we are thrilled to launch McGuireWoods' newest office and build on this opportunity to deliver better solutions for clients. Our own litigation practices fit perfectly into McGuireWoods' strategic goals. This is a firm with outstanding lawyers and tremendous capability combined with a real commitment to culture and community. We look forward to being part of this culture of excellence and representing it in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest," Connelly said. 

"These phenomenal lawyers have extensive experience representing leading companies in dynamic industries," said McGuireWoods Managing Partner J. Tracy Walker IV. "Their leadership, legal acumen and industry knowledge will provide enormous value to our clients as their businesses evolve. In addition, their stellar reputations and strong community ties form a steadfast cornerstone for what we will build in this vibrant region."

McGuireWoods' Seattle office is located in Safeco Plaza, 1001 Fourth Ave. 

McGuireWoods LLP is a leading international law firm with 1,000+ lawyers in 21 offices worldwide. It continuously ranks among the top firms in Financial Times' prestigious North America Innovative Lawyers report. The firm has been recognized 19 times on BTI Consulting's Client Service A-Team — elite firms singled out for client service excellence based on unprompted feedback from clients in major companies. Its full-service public affairs arm, McGuireWoods Consulting LLC, offers infrastructure and economic development, strategic communications and grassroots advocacy, and government relations solutions. For more information, visit www.mcguirewoods.com.

SOURCE McGuireWoods LLP