Ms. Lias-Booker was appointed to our Board on March 1, 2022.
A seasoned trial and appellate lawyer, Ava Lias-Booker serves in a number of leadership roles at McGuireWoods LLP, a leading international law firm.
She is Chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, a member of its Diversity Action Council, and part of the firm’s seven-member Associates Committee. A partner in the firm’s Baltimore office, Ava leads the Baltimore litigation practice with three decades of first-chair trial experience representing businesses from a broad range of industries in complex commercial and civil litigation. She served as co-lead counsel to a multinational oil and gas corporation that successfully argued for the reversal of jury verdicts awarding plaintiffs more than $1.5 billion in compensatory and punitive damages before Maryland’s highest appellate court. She has successfully defended financial institutions in a myriad of cases at the trial and appellate levels, including a multimillion-dollar claim involving alleged violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and a more than $50 million check fraud matter. Ava’s dedication to providing excellent client service is matched by her passion for mentoring young lawyers and serving the legal and civic communities of Baltimore, the state, and the nation.
She serves as a member of the board of directors of the University of Maryland Saint Joseph’s Medical Center and sits on the boards of visitors of Duke University School of Law and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (emeritus). She is a former member of the boards of directors for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Open Society Institute. Ms. Lias-Booker also serves as chair of the Magistrate Judges’ Merit Selection Panel of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and was a gubernatorial appointee to the Maryland Appellate Judicial Nominating Committee. She frequently speaks on litigation, leadership, and diversity issues.
