Pierce MacGuire ’14 doesn’t do anything halfway. When worried about being late, he arrives 35 minutes early. When asked to respond to a subpoena for a client, he writes a 10,000-word brief on why the requesting committee was illegitimate and the request was unconstitutional. When interested in volunteering in his community, he signs up for an intensive 10-month leadership development program.

This commitment to everything he does has allowed MacGuire to excel as an attorney, as a community member, as a husband, and as a father. It also has impacted the world around him—including the people whose lives he has touched.

“A large part of why I love Southwestern is because of Pierce. His thoughtful questions pushed me to be what I believe is a better educator who thought about topics in different ways. His support and collaboration as a student and alumnus have been instrumental,” said Debika Sihi, associate professor of business, who had MacGuire as a student during her first semester at Southwestern. “This is the impact Pierce had on just one person in his journey. Imagine the impacts he has had on his clients, the students he has mentored, and the residents of the city of Georgetown.”

MacGuire was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and the lacrosse team at Southwestern. He also was selected for the highly competitive Financial Analyst Program, a student group that makes investment decisions related to a portion of the University’s endowment. After graduating with a major in business and a minor in economics, he went on to earn his law degree from the Baylor University School of Law. He began his career as an associate attorney with law firms in Dallas and Austin before returning to Georgetown to join Sneed, Vine & Perry PC in 2020. In 2023, he established MacGuire Law, a full-service law firm specializing in litigation, entity formation, real estate, civil rights, and business transactions.

Homebuilder Chance Leigh has turned to MacGuire for legal advice and referred several other people to him. He remembers when one of his subcontractors unexpectedly died, MacGuire quickly stepped in to help his widow sort out his business affairs.

“Losing a loved one is traumatic enough, but to also need to step in and run their business is another level of stress. Pierce helped her in her darkest hour,” Leigh said. “He is arguably one of the best people I have met in my 46 years. When I refer people to him, I tell them you can trust Pierce with your wallet and your wife. He is the gold standard for doing the right thing.”

MacGuire and his wife, Alex Rodriguez MacGuire ’15, are active members of the Georgetown community. MacGuire recently was appointed by the mayor to the Georgetown Planning and Zoning Commission and previously served on the Georgetown Historic and Architectural Review Commission. As a member of the Leadership Georgetown Class of 2022, he spent 10 months learning the inner workings of Georgetown’s governmental, educational, economic, and cultural organizations. MacGuire also remains active with Southwestern, currently serving on the Board of Visitors.

“Pierce is the best friend a man could ever hope to have,” said Frank Pagliaro, who has known MacGuire since high school. “He’s fiercely loyal and thrives on truth-telling, which makes him a good moral barometer for those around him. He’ll tell it like it is, whether it’s to point out a major flaw in your logic or compliment you on your noblest trait. The kindness of his heart and the rigor of his thought make Pierce one of my most treasured companions on this road of life.”

For his ongoing professional success and dedication to making his community a better place, the Southwestern University Alumni Association is proud to honor Pierce MacGuire with the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award.