< PreviousPARTNERS IN LA W AND LIFE McGuireWoods and Madriz were young, dedicated litigators working together at a large law firm in Houston when they discovered how much they have in common. “One of the things we experienced is that we’re both perfectionists and we worked very long hours,” Yasser says. “We were always there on the weekends and at nights and we would chat about how the respective people in our lives didn’t understand our demanding work schedules. We realized we were kindred spirits and we understood each other.” The couple married in 2015 and, three years later, moved their thriving litigation practices to McGuireWoods. In 2020, Yasser became the office managing partner in Houston and a key player in growing the size and visibility of the firm’s Texas presence. He took on the role just a few months into a global pandemic that forced many to work from home and created new challenges for parents trying to balance work and family commitments. 40 ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22Yasser and Meghaan Madriz But for Meghaan and Yasser, the parents of a 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, the challenges came with a mutual appreciation of how demanding the legal profession can be, especially for working parents. “We both uniquely understand each other’s schedules, the demands of working for a big law firm, and the importance of being available to clients at all hours of the day and on weekends,” Meghaan says. The partners are in different departments — Meghaan in Labor & Employment and Yasser in Business & Securities Litigation. But they have worked together on matters involving trade secret misappropriation and unfair competition, areas where their practices overlap. When those cases have gone to injunction hearings or trial, Yasser says he felt confident because “there was not an argument that opposing counsel could make that we had not already considered.” “Perhaps it’s a function of being married or perhaps it’s because we both are driven to win, but for some reason, we tend to see our cases from opposite perspectives. This, in turn, motivates each of us to try to convince the other why his or her argument or strategy is better,” Yasser says. “The beauty behind this process — as frustrating as it may sound — is that we appreciate all of our cases’ strengths and weaknesses,” Meghaan says. Yasser adds, “The benefit is the client is rarely surprised when we go to trial and we are rarely caught off guard.” Meghaan says she and Yasser “are constantly bouncing things off one another” — at work or at home — and that each benefits from the other’s point of view. “When we are working on a case together, we can see all sides of things,” she says. “I’m much more, ‘Here’s what the law is.’ And he’s much more, ‘Here’s what the facts are.’ We balance each other because we tend to focus on different aspects of law versus facts and what it takes to win.” Meghaan and Yasser were drawn to McGuireWoods by the firm’s commitment to growing its Houston office and they wanted to help make it happen. The office has grown to 28 lawyers, including five lateral partners who joined since Yasser became office managing partner. And in March 2022, the firm moved its Houston home to the brand-new Texas Tower, a futuristic 47-story, 1-million-square-foot office tower in the heart of downtown. “I saw opportunity,” Yasser says. “I saw an incredible platform. It had the makings to become something much larger and much more successful.” Meghaan had been familiar with McGuireWoods since attending William & Mary Law School in Virginia, where the firm recruited heavily. Like Yasser, she was excited by the prospect of helping build the firm’s brand in Texas. “It was enticing to me because I knew about the firm and its reputation,” she says. “It also was appealing to me to join a smaller office that wanted to grow. I liked the idea of getting involved in something at the ground floor and having an opportunity to help build out this office.” ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22 41CHARL OTTE AL UMNI EVENT McGuireWoods hosted an alumni reception in Charlotte on April 28, 2022. More than 80 people attended the event, held at BUHO, located on the rooftop of the Grand Bohemian Hotel overlooking the Queen City skyline. Former colleagues, respected peers and good friends reconnected at the first of many in-person networking events to be held as part of the growing One McGuireWoods alumni program. 42 ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22From left: McGuireWoods’ Mark Kinghorn and retired partners Bob Cramer and Herb Browne From left: McGuireWoods’ Harrison Marshall and Tracy Walker with retired partner Lynwood Mallard From left: Wells Fargo’s David Lamothe, McGuireWoods’ Scott Vaughn, and Wells Fargo’s Jasmine Marchant and Brian Troutman From left: Ally Financial’s Stephanie Steiger, McGuireWoods’ Jon Harmon and Equitable Holdings’ Kurt Meyers McGuireWoods’ Sabrina Conyers and Raj Natarajan From left: Retired partner Bob Pryor, Blystone & Donaldson’s Tom Donaldson and McGuireWoods’ Rick Viola ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22 43IN THE NEWS McGuireWoods Dallas associate Olga Bograd joined Southwest Airlines’ legal department as a labor and employment attorney. Her last day at the law firm was May 25, 2022. Since joining McGuireWoods’ Labor & Employment Department in 2015, Bograd defended employers across the country in federal and state courts and arbitration proceedings. She handled wage and hour, discrimination, retaliation and harassment suits, and advised clients on human resources issues, including hiring and onboarding, policies, discipline, discharge, and employment and severance contracts. Bograd led McGuireWoods in several pro bono initiatives partnering with clients and nonprofit organizations to provide free legal assistance to refugees, survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence, and the underprivileged members of the Dallas community. “I am excited for this new chapter in my career,” Bograd says, “but I will miss all of the incredible colleagues I’ve had the privilege and pleasure to work with over the past seven years. I will always be grateful for the experiences I’ve had and the relationships I’ve built during my time at McGuireWoods.” Century City Labor & Employment Department, notes: “Olga has been an invaluable part of our team for the past seven years. While we are incredibly sad to be losing her, we wish her great success in this new phase of her career.” Bograd received her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Texas Christian University and her law degree, cum laude, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. CAREER MO VES 44 ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22OLGA BOGRAD JOINS SOUTHWEST AIRLINES ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22 45LAWRENCE CAMERON JOINS U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE 46 ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22Lawrence Cameron, a partner in McGuireWoods’ Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Department, left the firm in February 2022 to join the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina as First Assistant U.S. Attorney, the office’s second-ranking position. In his new position, Cameron oversees the office’s day-to-day operations and supervises the Civil, Criminal, Appellate and Administrative divisions, while serving as chief adviser to the U.S. Attorney. After joining McGuireWoods’ Raleigh office in 2018, Cameron represented corporate and individual clients in government and internal investigations, civil litigation, and regulatory enforcement and white collar criminal defense matters. He assisted clients across industries, including financial services, defense contracting, healthcare and energy. He also sat on the steering committee of the firm’s Appellate Justice Initiative and was a member of McGuireWoods’ Racial Justice Task Force. Cameron previously was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina and an Assistant District Attorney in Wake County, North Carolina. “I am honored and humbled to serve in this important role alongside one of the finest prosecutors I know,” Cameron says, referring to U.S. Attorney Dena J. King. “I have enjoyed working with many talented lawyers across [McGuireWoods’] offices and departments and appreciate the friendship and support of the firm and my colleagues as I move into this next phase of my legal career.” Washington, D.C., McGuireWoods’ Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Department, says, “I am privileged to have had Lawrence on our team for the past three years. He has our utmost respect, and I wish him the best in his exciting new role.” CAREER MO VES ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22 47Lisa Crabtree, an associate in McGuireWoods’ Regulatory & Compliance Department in Richmond, joined client Dominion Energy as senior counsel in the office of general counsel’s state regulatory group in November 2021. In this role, she supervises cases for Dominion regarding regulatory proceedings in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Crabtree worked at McGuireWoods from 2007-2009 as a paralegal on the products liability team and returned to the firm after law school in 2012. After a short stint on the toxic torts team, she joined the Regulatory & Compliance Department and focused her practice on energy and utility regulation. “My time at McGuireWoods allowed me to grow immensely as a lawyer,” Crabtree says. “From beginning as a junior associate just out of law school and learning the energy practice lingo, to leading and litigating my own cases, this has been quite an evolution. I am grateful for the opportunities to collaborate on interesting and novel cases, which came early and often.” “Lisa has been a valued member of our practice and she will be missed,” Regulatory & Compliance Department. “We wish Lisa all the best and look forward to working with her in her new role at Dominion Energy.” CAREER MO VES 48 ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22LISA CRABTREE MOVES TO DOMINION ENERGY ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22 49Next >