WilmerHale is pleased to announce that Brendan McGuire has returned to the firm as a partner in its New York office.
McGuire is rejoining the firm after serving as chief counsel to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Before his tenure as one of the senior leaders of the Adams administration, which he joined after five years as a partner at WilmerHale, McGuire was a decorated member of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for more than a decade, including service as chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit and chief of the Public Corruption Unit.
McGuire’s practice will build on his prior tenure at WilmerHale with a New York-oriented focus. It will involve high-stakes litigation, crisis management and advisory work with a particular emphasis on clients facing complex legal and policy challenges in New York. He will be part of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group though his practice will extend beyond that area.
As chief counsel to Mayor Adams and City Hall, McGuire was the general counsel of the administration as well as the mayor’s legal and strategic counselor. In addition, he maintained operational, budgetary and policy oversight of 10 major city agencies, partnered with every deputy mayor and significant agency heads on key administration priorities, and worked closely with the federal and state governments on behalf of the city.
“Brendan returns to our firm with extraordinary experience in governing and policymaking in New York, one of the world’s most dynamic and important cities,” said Robert Novick, WilmerHale’s co-managing partner. “Brendan symbolizes our firm’s major commitment to New York, a key piece of our strategic plan. His insights will be of great value to many of our clients with significant New York interests. We couldn’t be more pleased to have him once again as our colleague.”
“WilmerHale is a firm full of first-rate people who are also exceptional lawyers,” McGuire said. “I am excited and proud to return after serving the city, and I look forward to using my combination of experiences in government and the private sector to help clients navigate their toughest challenges on the local, national and international levels.”
McGuire was an associate at two law firms and a law clerk for US District Court Judge Peter K. Leisure before becoming a federal prosecutor. He earned his JD from New York University Law School in 2002 and his bachelor’s degree from Williams College in 1998.