Tell us about your top U.S. Supreme Court or federal appeals court victory over the past year and how you and your team achieved the win.

The greatest recent success by McGuireWoods' appeals team is [the U.S. Supreme Court case]  Collins v. Virginia. On the merits, we persuaded the court to rule in our favor, 8-1. Collins now guards the Fourth Amendment rights of every American who lives in a house and parks a car nearby.

The firm handled the appeal with only one partner and two associates, all age 35 or younger at the outset. That team drafted a certiorari petition that Empirical SCOTUS later labeled the best-written petition of the 2017-2018 court term.

Over the past few years, McGuireWoods has built a powerful appeals team outside the Beltway. The young team includes six former U.S. Supreme Court clerks, with a seventh joining this fall, and handles appeals across the country.

How did your firm approach appellate success over the past year?

Appeals boil down years of litigation to a few written pages and a few spoken minutes. Such a condensed practice perfectly fits bright young lawyers and McGuireWoods intentionally brings those attorneys to our toughest appeals. The briefs and arguments the team produces dazzle our clients.

What practice advice would you give your younger self?

I am 36, so in the world of appeals team leaders, I am my younger self. Some advice I always carry is that every appeal tells a story and so the lawyer who puts the white hat on his client will have the upper hand.

Responses submitted by Matt Fitzgerald, partner and co-chair of McGuireWoods' appeals and Issues group.