McGuireWoods Consulting Strategic Sets up Advisory Services Practice

The government affairs arm of McGuireWoods has launched a new practice, the firm announced this week.

McGuireWoods Consulting has established a strategic advisory services practice in an effort to help businesses "better align their public affairs capabilities with sales, legal, accounting and other operational areas, ultimately lowering risk and increasing returns" and "get in front of issues, while also driving sales and accomplishing business development goals," according to the firm. Brad Alexander, an Atlanta-based senior vice president of McGuireWoods Consulting, is leading the practice, which has eight core members.

Strategic advisory services are "relevant for people who have a very important issue, which they need to get right," said former Representative L.F. Payne (D-Va.), president of McGuireWoods Consulting.

Payne, who is based in Washington, said strategic advisory services aren't new for his firm, which has offices in six states, D.C. and Romania. But he said the practice helps his firm better organize its strategic advisory work and ensure that clients are aware of its capabilities.

McGuireWoods came in at No. 16 on the 2012 Influence 50, The National Law Journal’s annual survey of the 50 top-earning lobbying practices in Washington. The firm reported revenue of $22 million for the survey. Its clients include the National Basketball Association, Smithfield Foods Inc. and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), according to congressional records.