< PreviousSteven G. Popps, a partner in McGuireWoods’ Business & Securities Litigation Department, was appointed Deputy Attorney General of the Civil Division. Popps began his duties when Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares was sworn in on Jan. 15, 2022. Popps’ last day at McGuireWoods was Jan. 14. With more than a decade of experience representing businesses and executives in high-stakes disputes, Popps assisted McGuireWoods clients with government investigations, fiduciary litigation, and receivership actions and negotiations, particularly related to commercial real estate. He also advised on political law issues, including the Federal Election Campaign Act and the Lobbying Disclosure Act. Before joining McGuireWoods, Popps clerked for Judge Henry E. Hudson of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. In law school, Popps was lead articles editor of the William and Mary Law Review, and before law school, he worked on the staff of then-U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Popps served on the Bar Association of the City of Richmond’s finance committee and on the William & Mary Law School Alumni Association board’s nominating committee. In 2019, the judges of the Eastern District of Virginia appointed him to a merit selection panel that identified and recommended candidates for a vacant U.S. magistrate judge position. Among his numerous honors, The Best Lawyers in America recognized Popps for commercial litigation and Virginia Business magazine named him to its “Legal Elite” list for business law. “It is a tremendous honor to serve as a deputy attorney general for the commonwealth of Virginia. I am grateful for my years at McGuireWoods and for the support and camaraderie of my exceptional colleagues,” Popps says. Partner Securities Litigation Department, says, “Steven’s litigation skills are top-notch and we are thrilled his talents will now benefit the citizens of Virginia. We wish him all the best as he enters public service.” McGuireWoods managing partner adds: “Steven is an outstanding lawyer and a strong leader. The Attorney General’s Office and the commonwealth will be well-served by Steven in his new role.” CAREER MO VES 60 ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22STEVEN POPPS JOINS VIRGINIA AG’S OFFICE ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22 61Carson Lee Fifer Jr. Remembering 62 ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22McGuireWoods retired partner Carson Lee Fifer Jr., who practiced with the real estate and land use team in Tysons, Virginia, for nearly 40 years, passed away April 21, 2022. Colleagues and friends will miss Fifer’s friendship, his dedication to excellence, and his unwavering passion for his causes and his community. “Lee was a fine lawyer who helped put both Boothe, Prichard and Dudley and McGuireWoods on the map in sophisticated land use, while also a gentleman and a great partner,” says Richmond chaired the Real Estate & Land Use Department when Fifer was still practicing with the firm. A lifelong Alexandrian, Fifer attended St. Stephens School in Alexandria, Virginia, and then Brown University, where he was a member of the tennis team. He earned an MBA from the George Washington University and his J.D. from the University of Virginia. He was an avid tennis player, an enthusiastic fisherman who loved taking friends out on his boat, and a musician who played guitar and banjo. Fifer joined McGuireWoods predecessor law firm Boothe, Prichard and Dudley in 1972 and maintained a diverse practice focused on land use and environmental law, real estate law, affordable housing and sports law. He retired from the firm in 2012. “I was always struck by Lee’s deep commitment to client relationships and client service,” says Tysons office managing “In an effort to counsel others on the value of relationships in our work, he would frequently state that he considered his clients to be friends and his friends were almost inevitably his clients.” Riegle describes Fifer’s professional and personal dedication to affordable housing as “a defining quality.” As one example cited by many, in 1994 Fifer led a fundraising effort that raised $600,000 in six months, enabling a nonprofit organization to move and make necessary improvements — essentially saving the organization from going out of business. He served as chairman of its board for more than a decade. “In addition, Lee was one of the architects of the first affordable dwelling unit ordinances in Virginia (Fairfax County),” Riegle says. “He also worked on some of the more transformative real estate projects in Northern Virginia.” Fifer adhered to high standards in his profession and in his community. He chaired the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Governors of St. Stephens and St. Agnes School, and Carpenter’s Shelter. He founded Alexandria Volunteer Bureau as well as Affordable Housing Opportunities Means Everyone, and he served on the vestry and strategic planning committee of Christ Church in Old Town Alexandria. Fifer was repeatedly included in The Best Lawyers in America for land use and zoning law and real estate law, and Chambers USA several times named him a “Leader in the Field” for real estate, zoning and land use in Northern Virginia. Retired partner Stephen Robinson, who met Fifer in 1974, says, “Lee was a terrific mentor and role model for young lawyers, even if they were not in his practice group. He was an imaginative, talented and dedicated lawyer and all that you could hope for as a partner. He was truly a dean of the land use/zoning/real estate bar in Northern Virginia.” ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22 63Remembering Andrew G. McBride 64 ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22McGuireWoods partner Andrew G. McBride, a respected and accomplished attorney and valued colleague, passed away April 29, 2022. McBride joined McGuireWoods in Washington in 2019, beginning a new chapter in a distinguished career of public service and private practice. A graduate of Stanford Law School, he clerked for Judge Robert Bork on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. He served for three years in the U.S. Department of Justice as an associate deputy attorney general and an assistant to the attorney general under Attorneys General Dick Thornburgh and William P. Barr. He then spent seven years as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, trying over 30 criminal and civil cases, including healthcare fraud, RICO cases, and money laundering and forfeiture proceedings. In private practice, McBride represented clients in investigations and enforcement matters before the DOJ, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Election Commission and Federal Communications Commission, among other agencies. He was selected as lead counsel in numerous industrywide cases, representing clients in major regulated industries. He defended clients against almost every tort the plaintiffs’ bar has come up with and almost every alleged violation state attorneys general have pursued. He also argued more than 50 appeals in state and federal courts across the country. “Andrew was a gifted lawyer and a brilliant legal strategist,” says managing partner “We were thrilled when he joined us, and he delivered on our every expectation, helping us forge stronger ties with several key clients.” McBride’s experience and perspective made him a well-known Washington presence, with important contacts throughout the executive branch and on Capitol Hill. National news organizations sought him out for his insight on a range of legal issues. “Andrew had an accomplished and colorful legal career and made our firm and our litigation practice stronger,” deputy managing partner for litigation. “He was also a raconteur of the highest order, and I will miss our conversations very much. We are fortunate that he chose to finish his sterling career with our firm as our colleague, and we and our clients benefited greatly from his wisdom and experience.” In 2020, McBride was selected to receive a nonprofit program run in association with the Library of Congress. The Burton Award, the legal industry’s premier distinguished writing honor, is given to 25 partners and counsel from the 1,000 largest law firms in the United States. McBride was honored as a “Litigation Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal and was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Legal 500 United States and Chambers USA. From 2014-2016, McBride was pro bono co- lead counsel with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and the ACLU of Maryland in an important civil rights case, Savage v. Pocomoke. He also participated in Street Law, preparing topics and teaching high school seniors at the Academies at Anacostia about legal issues and the practice of law. McBride earned his J.D., with distinction, Order of the Coif, from Stanford Law School, and his B.A. degree, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the College of the Holy Cross. ONE McGUIREWOODS | SUMMER 20 22 65McGUIREWOODS For questions about One McGuireWoods, email Next >