Richard W. Viola will succeed David P. Pusateri as deputy managing partner of McGuireWoods’ corporate practice, maintaining the firm’s tradition of regularly rotating key leadership positions. The appointment is effective May 2.
Viola, based in Charlotte, co-leads the firm’s financial institutions industry team and formerly chaired the Securities & Capital Markets Department. He represents public and private companies in securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters. Viola joined McGuireWoods in 2008.
During Viola’s tenure as an industry team co-leader, the firm earned national recognition for its representation of financial institutions. Law360 named McGuireWoods a “Banking Practice Group of the Year” and U.S. News-Best Lawyers’ “Best Law Firms” recognized it as “Law Firm of the Year” for banking and finance law.
Pusateri has guided the firm’s corporate practice since 2011, a period in which McGuireWoods established itself as a top firm for deal work and excellent client service. The firm consistently ranks among the leaders in league tables for M&A, private equity, syndicated lending and capital markets transactions. Mergers & Acquisitions magazine named McGuireWoods “Law Firm of the Year” in its 2017 Mid-Market M&A Awards, recognizing the firm for its transactional work and client-focused innovations. Pusateri joined McGuireWoods in 2001 and served as managing partner of the Pittsburgh office for a decade before becoming deputy managing partner of the firm’s corporate practice. Pusateri will continue his practice in environmental, real estate and business law.