John Wood began his legal career at the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., having been hired through the prestigious Attorney General’s Honors Program. He defended the federal government against accusations that it used various forms of intellectual property, including scientific patents, without authorization.
Since entering private practice in 1994, John has handled a range of civil litigation, including insurance disputes, wrongful death, personal injury, product liability, business disputes, and construction defects.
Along the way, John found a passion for helping people who are unfairly denied employee benefits (including disability benefits) under the federal ERISA law. His ERISA clients come from varied occupations in medicine, law, dentistry, business, engineering, physical therapy, pharmacy, human resources, factory work, and many other fields. He assists with claims against Unum Life, Paul Revere, Aetna, AIG, Assurant, Hartford, Reliance, CIGNA, CNA, MetLife, Shenandoah Life, Kansas City Life, Jefferson Pilot, Lincoln Financial, Provident, Life Insurance Company of North America, Prudential, and others.
A graduate of Tulane Law School, John has given speeches to attorneys on ERISA, disability insurance, legal procedure, case management, legal ethics, technology, and subrogation. He serves as an officer of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Insurance Law Section and its Health Care Finance and Disability Litigation Group.
Before moving to Seattle in 2007, he practiced with a leading Tennessee law firm and served as an officer and executive committee member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. He co-authored the leading book on Tennessee comparative negligence law, published by West Publishing (2nd ed). In 2006, he was named a “Super Lawyer” in Tennessee in the field of employee benefits/ERISA by Super Lawyers Magazine.
In 2007, John founded the Wood Law Firm, based in Seattle but serving people across the nation. He focuses on ERISA claims and insurance-related disputes. In addition to his active legal practice, he maintains his blog that helps to educate attorneys and the public about the intricacies of ERISA law.
In addition to his law degree, John holds a master's degree from Georgetown University.