McGuireWoods names new COO

Published October 1, 2019 by Richard Foster

McGuireWoods, Virginia's largest law firm, announced Tuesday that it has hired a new chief operating officer.

Richard Davis was formerly a managing director for New York-based Navigant Consulting Inc., which provides specialized consulting, outsourcing and technology services primarily to clients in the health care, energy and financial services industries. He has also worked for PwC and was a senior executive for 10 years at global business advisory firm FTI Consulting.

After a transition period, Davis will take over leadership of McGuireWoods’ operational departments and assist the senior management team with developing and implementing the firm’s strategic business priorities.

“Rich has played important leadership roles helping global professional services companies expand and innovate,” McGuireWoods Managing Partner J. Tracy Walker IV said in a statement. “His experience managing client-facing initiatives and large-scale transformation projects will be a tremendous asset as we push forward toward our strategic goals. In addition, Rich’s collaborative leadership style fits perfectly with our firm’s culture.”

Davis succeeds McGuireWoods Executive Director Robert Couture, who is focusing on his role as a senior research fellow at Harvard Law School’s Center on the Legal Profession, where he is studying the impact of artificial intelligence on law firms, as well as how law firms are competing with the Big Four accounting firms.

“Bob has been indispensable to McGuireWoods’ growth and success over the past 14 years,” Walker said. “He provided invaluable insight to senior management and oversaw major, client-focused initiatives in our operational departments that helped us earn recognition as one of the most innovative firms in the business of law. His contributions to the firm have been immense and we cannot thank him enough.”