Michael Herring of McGuireWoods (courtesy photo)

Former Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael Herring started a new role Monday as a litigation partner at McGuireWoods.

The move marks a homecoming of sorts, as Herring was previously a summer clerk at McGuireWoods in the 1980s.

He said he was having conversations with other firms that he did not identify, but there was a comfort level at McGuireWoods that he didn't recognize elsewhere. “The feel of the conversations with folks at McGuireWoods was just great, it felt good,” Herring said.

Herring also cited McGuireWoods footprint in the Richmond community as particularly important to him.

He said he's far from burned out by government service, but after 13 years as Richmond's top prosecutor, there were domestic demands that needed to be met—particularly the cost of adolescent children in private schools and college.

As a prosecutor in Richmond, Herring said, his “bread and butter is violence,” followed by narcotics and—occasionally—corruption. In private practice at McGuireWoods, he'll focus on governmental investigations, white-collar criminal defense and commercial litigation.

Herring said he has no future political aspirations, and no desire to use his prosecutor's experience as a launching pad for other governmental service at a statewide or national level.

In a statement announcing his hire, McGuireWoods touted Herring's reputation of using deferred prosecutions for first-time nonviolent offenders and his work to find alternatives to criminal trials through diversion programs. The firm also noted that Herring worked with the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project to exonerate three people it described as wrongfully convicted of violent crimes decades earlier.

“Mike Herring has provided strong, forward-looking leadership as Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney, earning the respect and admiration of the legal community, city and state leaders and the citizens he represented,” said Jonathan Harmon, McGuireWoods chairman, in a statement. “Our clients will benefit greatly from his experience and sound judgment.”

Herring was born in Richmond, educated at the University of Virginia, and won three previous elections—in 2009, 2013 and 2017—running unopposed as a Democrat. He left government service on July 1.