Catherine Wood
	Washington, District of Columbia p_ 202.625.3737 f_ 202.295.1123

Catherine S. Wood counsels clients, as plaintiffs or defendants, in federal and state litigation at the trial and appellate levels, in arbitration and mediation, as well as in enforcement matters. She also assists clients in assessing and minimizing litigation risks and provides creative solutions to quickly resolve disputes without litigation. Ms. Wood has successfully represented publicly traded and privately held companies in various industries and economic sectors, company officers and directors, and individuals, in a wide range of complex civil litigation. Her practice encompasses litigating disputes arising from contracts, commercial and corporate transactions, and employment relationships, as well as disputes involving products liability, premises liability and catastrophic torts, statutory securities and common law fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, and tortious interference with contract or prospective business relations.

A representative sampling of Ms. Wood's experience includes the following:

• Defended a leading fencing manufacturer and its officers in a Maryland federal court lawsuit brought by a business competitor alleging breach of non-compete, tortious interference with contractual relations and unfair competition claims.
• Prosecuted on behalf of a large biomedical company a lawsuit in California state court against a distributor and business competitor for misappropriation of trade secrets and tortious interference with exclusive licenses and obtained a favorable settlement.
• Prosecuted, on behalf of a Spanish solar cell manufacturer, claims against a U.S. distributor in Arizona federal court for breach of a commission agreement and reached favorable settlement at mediation.
• Represented directors of a for-profit higher education provider in a shareholder class action in Maryland state court for breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the company's announcement of a merger and obtained dismissal with prejudice.
• Represented directors of an internet company in a shareholder class action in Virginia federal court alleging securities fraud in connection with the company's initial public offering and secured favorable settlement.
• Represented an investment management company and its officers and directors in a securities fraud lawsuit in Ohio federal court arising from the loss of a pension fund investment and obtained dismissal of complaint against certain officers and directors.
• Represented a foreign bank in arbitration against another foreign bank for breach of letters of credit and secured favorable award.
• Represented a seller of an aircraft in a dispute involving breach of the purchase agreement and obtained a satisfactory resolution.
• Represented a large hotel management company in a high exposure premises liability case alleging electrical shock to plaintiff and violation of the National Electric Code and obtained a favorable settlement.
• Represented an industrial fan manufacturer in a products liability case involving claims of failure to warn, design defects and breach of express and implied warranties and secured a favorable settlement after prevailing on summary judgment on plaintiffs' primary claims.
• Co-counseled with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in submitting an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Ricci, et al. v. DeStefano, et al. (Nos. 07-1428-08-328).

Ms. Wood earned a Bachelor of Arts, with high distinction, from George Mason University in 1994 and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law in 1997. In law school, she was an editor for the American University International Law Review (formerly known as the American University Journal of International Law and Policy) and published an article on E-2 Visa. After law school, she served as a motions law clerk with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Ms. Wood is Hiring Partner in Washington, D.C. and serves on the firm's Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity. She is a member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.