Litigator Steve Wood joins Chuhak & Tecson

CHICAGO, June 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. is pleased to announce that Steve Wood has joined the firm's litigation team as a principal.

With a practice in complex civil litigation, Wood brings to the firm more than 20 years of experience litigating and trying cases in state and federal courtrooms across the United States.

Wood comes to Chuhak & Tecson from New York-based Kelley Drye & Warren LLP where he was a partner. His work covers a wide range of commercial disputes, as well as mass tort and products liability matters for clients in a variety of industries including aerospace, energy, rail, communications and pharmaceuticals.

"Over the last several years my practice has become more national in scope, but being at a firm with a bi-coastal presence was not really important to the growth of my practice," Wood said. "I knew I could represent my clients effectively from a single office as long as I had the necessary technical support and attorney/paralegal resources to represent sophisticated clients in complex and challenging cases.

"Chuhak & Tecson offered me just what I was looking for," he said. "Located in Chicago, one of the principle venues in the country for complex litigation, the firm has built a solid foundation over nearly three decades. It has the litigation support and infrastructure that my clients need. Importantly, the firm also offered me the opportunity to take on significant responsibility in helping to grow its litigation practice."

Wood has experience practicing in a variety of subject areas, but irrespective of the subject matter, most of his cases are complex and involve significant time in the courtroom. He represents clients in actions involving breaches of contract, the Uniform Commercial Code, Lanham Act, employment torts, professional liability, construction law, unfair competition and antitrust. He also has extensive experience in multidistrict litigation proceedings. He has served as national counsel in recurrent litigation for Fortune 500 companies and successfully litigated against some of the largest law firms and most accomplished lawyers in the country.

Recently, Wood represented several defendants in a shareholder derivative action brought in state court in Houston against one of the state's top business litigation firms. The case was noteworthy because Wood and his team obtained a writ of mandamus overturning several of the trial court's rulings on pretrial discovery matters, and in the process created new law favorable to corporate defendants sued in derivative actions in Texas. Other significant recent wins include a $125 million settlement for his client in an antitrust lawsuit, and summary judgment for a trade association in a suit brought against the Illinois Department of Insurance over improper rule-making.

A former U.S. Marine Corps Harrier jet pilot and flight instructor, Wood expects to lend his aviation knowledge in support of Chuhak & Tecson's aviation litigation and transactions group. His familiarity with aircraft systems and flight procedures gives him an advantage in representing companies in the aerospace industry.

A graduate of George Washington University, with distinction, and a cum laude graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, he speaks frequently on litigation matters and trial techniques.

Wood grew up in Rochester, N.Y. where his father was a former prosecutor and commercial litigator.

"I was exposed to the law and litigation as a youngster, watching my father in court," he said. "My father taught me that the law was a profession with great traditions and history. It is a noble and honorable calling."

Bill DeYoung, also a litigation and aviation principal at Chuhak & Tecson, said Wood is exactly the kind of lawyer the firm needs.

"Steve brings greater depth to our litigation and aviation groups and enhances our ability to serve clients at the absolute top level," DeYoung said. "He has handled big cases that only the best attorneys can handle. The ability to manage a very large case requires special leadership skills, and Steve exhibits those."

DeYoung added that Wood's earlier career in the military figures strongly into his success as a litigator for these types of cases.

"The military trains people to be leaders, and having been in the Marines for nearly 10 years, he would have spent much time training to be a leader and perfecting those skills," DeYoung said. "Both our clients and our firm will benefit from that experience."

SOURCE Chuhak & Tecson, P.C.