This move builds on McGuireWoods' long-term West Coast growth, initiated with the 2005 LA office opening and later San Francisco expansion. The firm has recently added LA partners like Timothy Rusche (from Seyfarth, March 2025), Zachary Shub-Essig (private equity), Gary Leung and Jodi Lopez (securities), and others, alongside a new Seattle office.[1][2][4][8] McGuireWoods' labor practice, ranked nationally in Chambers USA 2025 and Best Law Firms 2026 Tier 1 for employment litigation, targets employers from small businesses to Fortune 500s in compliance, class actions, and investigations.[1][4]
The announcement is newsworthy amid aggressive talent poaching in competitive California employment law, where complex wage-hour and PAGA cases proliferate. Li's accolades—Law360 Rising Star 2025, Daily Journal Top 40 Under 40 2024—bolster McGuireWoods' capabilities against rivals like Seyfarth, which has a strong employment litigation platform; reciprocal hires (e.g., Colleen Regan from McGuireWoods to Seyfarth) highlight sector dynamics.[3][4][9] Timed with recent expansions, it signals McGuireWoods' push for West Coast dominance in a high-stakes practice area.[4][6]