Practice groups

As advocates for our clients, we make the case for the policy outcomes that our clients need. But we can also help them to play a direct role in politics with a political action committee. We offer advice on the best strategic use of PAC resources and make sure that our clients maximize their impact. Working with our colleagues at McGuireWoods LLP we can provide our clients the help they need to be certain that they comply with the increasingly strict and complex campaign finance laws. Our team will help clients to raise their profile in Washington, and protect their reputation.

McGuireWoods Consulting has considerable experience in recruiting and mobilizing coalitions of stakeholders to help our clients speak more forcefully on important issues. We assist in the development and advise coalition leadership on how to deliver its message and achieve its goals, often developing unique partnerships that enhance influence.

Developing your government contracts portfolio can take time and often the ability to demonstrate a track record of success. Our team can simplify the procurement process and help you understand what business decisions are politically practicable on a state-by-state basis.

We have relationships with a variety of state agencies, cabinet officials, and boards. We understand their needs, their cultures, and their budgets. McGuireWoods Consulting uses this knowledge to better understand contract and procurement needs and help deliver results to our clients.

While crises can't be anticipated, taking a proactive approach and putting a plan in place will only serve to help a company avoid major public damage. With no immediate plan in place, organizations can lose their single greatest opportunity to control events surrounding the media coverage of a crisis. How a company reacts during the first 12 hours of a crisis can determine its reputation for years to come and McGuireWoods Consulting can make sure your message is understood and used by the media.

The ability to immediately receive information and communicate a message has been revolutionized though the advent of new media techniques and a growing cultural dependence on the Internet. We live in a society that thrives on instantaneous news delivered in a 24-hour cycle by a variety of methods made available online. Social networking websites, blogs and podcasts serve as convenient and effective tools to gather and share information globally. Based on client needs, McGuireWoods Consulting has the resources in place to develop and implement a sophisticated digital media campaign that can alter perceptions, effectively deliver a desired message and hit the appropriate targets.

When negotiating incentives, your company needs a team that is thoroughly knowledgeable about the economic development incentives offered by state and local governments. McGuireWoods Consulting not only knows the incentives offered, we specialize in understanding why they are offered and their most effective use to benefit your company. We combine this knowledge of the programs with efforts that motivate public officials to support your company's growth efforts.

While our goal as your consultant is to help negotiate the best possible incentive package, such work must be approached with the highest level of respect and integrity for the other side. When making a decision to expand or relocate, your relationship with the state and local government doesn't end with the announcement. Instead, it is just beginning. That is why we approach the negotiations with your long term interests as our focus, not just a short term gain.

Drawing on long-standing relationships with key policymakers and knowledge of the regulatory process, the McGuireWoods Consulting team helps clients to enact laws, rules, and regulations, which stimulate economic opportunity and make businesses prosper.

At McGuireWoods Consulting, we fully understand the intricacies of obscure ethics rules that complicate relationships with the federal government. In recent years, those rules have become more complex and the penalties for violating them have grown more severe. We can call on the attorneys of our parent law firm McGuireWoods LLC to ensure that our clients comply with all regulations relating to lobbying, campaign contributions, gifts and other issues. Just as important, we help our clients avoid even the appearance of running afoul of the ethics rules and we will stake our reputation on helping our clients to preserve theirs.

From the White House to the smallest federal agency, much of the power to get things done in Washington is found in the executive branch. From policy positions to regulatory changes, important decisions that can impact our clients' businesses can sometimes get mired in the federal bureaucracy, having a negative effect on their bottom line. McGuireWoods Consulting has a broad range of skills, knowledge and experience that we can put to work for our clients.

McGuireWoods Consulting represents top-notch clients in a wide range of executive and legislative issues. Our team includes former senior members of executive and legislative branch offices, all with a broad range of skills, knowledge, and experience to assist our clients in achieving their business goals. Our team works extensively with the Governor's Office, members of the Governor's cabinet, executive branch agencies, legislatures, and other stakeholders to provide access and services to our clients. Our team also assists clients on executive agency procurements, regulatory actions, budget formulation and other executive and legislative matters.

The years of federal largesse are over. Shrinking federal discretionary budgets, coupled with increasingly difficult Congressional procedures make it of paramount importance to distinguish your project from the myriad of others reviewed by every member of Congress. The McGuireWoods Consulting Federal Group has a long and documented history of securing federal resources for clients across many different industries, for municipalities, non-profits and educational institutions. Working with our bi-partisan team in Washington, D.C., we can help you identify, quantify, and present the strongest federal appropriations request possible. Then, utilizing relationships with local members of Congress, as well as with members and staff from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, we can position your request for the best possible outcome.

McGuireWoods Consulting possesses a strong government relations team who can deliver your message to key policymakers in Washington, which an essential component to every corporation's business strategy. We bring vast experience in assisting businesses to communicate with federal policy makers on complex legislative issues in every major area, from trade to taxes to transportation.

McGuireWoods Consulting assists clients in localities across the country, providing a variety of government relations services. We have an experienced team that will maximize your opportunity for success regarding your issue. We offer clients in-depth political analysis of local governments whose politics may be complicated but unknown. Our relationships and depth of experience with key issues helps bring credibility and results for our clients.

The McGuireWoods Consulting team combines its professional relations with key media contacts and superior communication skills to create a positive public image of your company in local and national media sources. In addition to traditional media relations, we are proficient in leveraging the latest tools - social media, digital communications and social networking - to help clients gain prominence in the media. Our Strategic Communications group has a proven track record of placing articles, op-eds, editorials and feature stories in newspapers, trade publications, television newscasts and radio news programs across the country. There is no substitute for experience and we understand the precision of handling hard news and the subtle art of crafting soft news stories. We have the depth and experience with the media to gain attention for any high-profile issues across a myriad of industries.

Our extensive experience and network of relationships and strategic partners allows McGuireWoods Consulting to advise our clients on a broad range of issues and political matters, both regionally and in state capitals across the country. We have helped our clients across the country on issues involving economic expansions, legislative affairs, executive branch relationships, sustainability and strategic positioning and grassroots services.

We believe that relationships drive results, and we are active in maintaining and developing our relationships with clients, leaders of industry and key elected officials across the nation.

Members of our team are active in a number of political and public policy organizations. These include the Republican Governors Association, Democratic Governors Association, Republican Attorneys General Association, Democrat Attorneys General Association, Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, American Legislative Exchange Council, National Council of State Legislatures, State Government Affairs Council, National Black Caucus of State Legislators, Environmental Council of the States, and the Urban Land Institute. Relationships developed through these organizations prove to be valuable assets to our clients.

The McGuireWoods Consulting team has been a pioneer in implementing innovative legislation to promote the use of public-private partnerships to develop infrastructure, including Virginia's Public-Private Transportation Act (PPTA), the Public Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act (PPEA), and similar structures in other states. Our extensive knowledge of the process to successfully implement these partnerships, along with unparalleled access to key state and local decision makers, has enabled our clients to achieve successes in developing schools, public safety facilities, utility projects, and transportation.

McGuireWoods Consulting has been involved in over 30 referenda in multiple states, most successfully, since the turn of the century. Using modern political campaign techniques we have defeated a number of tax increases targeting our clients and helped lower barriers to entry in the marketplace. We understand the balance between public advocacy and maintaining a corporate reputation and have brought successful results for a number of clients.

Navigating the regulatory system is no easy task. McGuireWoods Consulting can assist you every step of the way. Our team has a strong background in both agency and board driven regulations and a wide array of issue-specific expertise. We will monitor, track and update you on any issues of concern as well as assist in the development of regulations. From the initial notice, through public and technical comment, and final adoption, our team is ready to help guide you through the process.

The McGuireWoods Consulting team is unmatched in developing sound strategic dialogue and grassroots/grasstops plan (s) and program(s) that allow our clients to identify and affect the outcome of their particular issue(s) or policy. The McGuireWoods Consulting team is well balanced in our political understanding and with the tools that motivate stakeholders. Because of this diversity we can meet the challenges of our clients when working to engage and educate key stakeholders on a wide variety of issues and policies on the local, state and federal level.

Our strategic communications & grassroots teams can work with you to develop a unique strategy to address your public relations and community outreach challenges, and execute the tactics to connect you with the public and policy makers. We can help shape and deliver your winning message through the media, – mainstream and online – through digital or print communications, or by developing sophisticated coalition and grassroots campaigns.

Public perception is perhaps the biggest key to any company's or organization's bottom line. If the general public doesn't like you, how will you survive? How or when you reach your business or public affairs goals is largely determined by how you are positioned in the public eye and the influence of your messaging. McGuireWoods Consulting uses proven techniques to ensure that your company uses the right messages at the right time in the proper medium. By employing a variety of tools and tactics, we assist our clients define, differentiate and position themselves for success.

Our experienced Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability practice team assists clients with strategic corporate social responsibility and sustainability programs at executive corporate level, as well as the operational level. Based on clients' individual needs, our consultants provide customized advice on how to incorporate environmental stewardship and various stakeholder interests in all operations aspects through discretionary business practices, voluntary programs, and multi-stakeholder relationship management. The team members have a solid combined background in the public, private and non-profit sector, in the areas of environmental law, sustainability, environmental policy-making, strategic communications, state and federal government relations, and grassroots organizing.

The international business market in Eastern Europe is flourishing and McGuireWoods Consulting has recognized that Romania is at the epicenter of this movement. Our team, based in Bucharest, has the ability to assist clients with trade matters across varied industries. Whether seeking economic incentives to gain a foothold in this growing market, or testing the waters for investment opportunities across the region, our team possesses the resources and knowledge to assist you in realizing your business objectives.