Travers D. Wood
Practice Areas
Travers Wood’s practice concentrates in general business and commercial litigation, including extensive representation of clients in disputes involving business torts, questions of fraud, securities, contract, insurance coverage and bad faith, professional liability, trademark infringement and unfair competition law. Trav represents accounting firms, insurers, financial institutions, law firms, and general businesses in complex business and commercial litigation matters. Trav has also been recognized as a Super Lawyer every year the recognition has been given (2004-2017) in the area of commercial litigation.
Trav has represented clients throughout the United States and abroad. His experience includes representing clients in investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as before Federal Grand Juries, the Federal Trade Commission, and before various state and local regulatory agencies, including the California and Arizona State Boards of Accountancy. Trav has tried jury and non-jury cases in state and federal courts and has represented clients in more than 50 administrative trials, including before the American Arbitration Association and state and local administrative tribunals.
- Successful defense of a multi-national accounting firm in an 8 week jury trial involving alleged misrepresentations in the annual financial statements of a publicly traded national restaurant chain
- Successful representation of partner of a “Big Four” accounting firm in a complex SEC investigation of supposed improper back-dating of employee stock options, resulting in dismissal of all charges and closing of investigation
- Representation of audit committee of a publicly traded company in a corporate investigation involving potential violations of federal securities laws regarding insider trading
- Representation of a multi-national accounting firm in protracted litigation and jury trial of class action by investors in a large real estate limited partnership; settled favorably after picking jury
- Successful representation of major international bank in an action arising from the acquisition of an iconic major motion picture studio, resulting in summary judgment in favor of the bank in excess of $1 billion
- Successful representation of two partners of a major national law firm in a 13 week jury trial arising from a dispute over a failed real estate development
- Successful representation of a major accounting firm in arbitration of attorney’s fees against losing party in prior litigation, resulting in an arbitral award in excess of $1 million
- Successful representation of a large national accounting firm in an SEC investigation arising from alleged irregularities in the audited financial statements of a start-up technology company resulting in the closing of the investigation without charges or a fine
- Representation of two national insurers in a multi-phased trial litigation in Northern California arising from claims of more than 16,000 persons claiming to suffer from asbestos related diseases, including settlement
- Successful representation of the lead audit partner of an international accounting firm in a state regulatory investigation involving a large, multi-national software company
- Successful representation of lead audit partner of large national accounting firm in administrative law trial alleging GAAP errors in client’s audited financial statements
- Successful trial representation of foreign automobile manufacturer in breach of warranty action
- Successful representation of international office products company as plaintiff in multiple federal trademark violation injunctive actions
- Successful representation of one of largest building supply retailers in California in two unfair competition actions, resulting in preliminary injunctions in favor of client
- Representation of large national insurer in bad faith actions arising from disputed defense fees and costs through several excess comprehensive general liability insurance policies arising from litigation concerning 18 related real estate partnership investment properties. As a result of the resolution of the litigations, we successfully represented the national insurer in a contribution action against eleven other national insurers in which we recovered all of the fees and costs expended by our client in the underlying real estate disputes, exceeding $11 million
- Representation of a large national motion picture studio in a class action by investors arising from the acquisition of the studio by another company. We were successful in demonstrating to the court that there were no actual recoverable damages.
- Successful representation of large national accounting firm in multiple related litigations arising from supposed misrepresentations in the audited financial statement of technology start-up. Our representation resulted in several favorable summary judgments, the dismissal of an SEC investigation without penalty or fine, and the mediation of remaining claims
- JD, University of Southern California Gould School of Law (1969)
- BS, UCLA, Economics (1966)
- Certificate, “Mediating the Litigated Case”, 42 hour course, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law (2015)
- President, Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Los Angeles Chapter (2008-2009)
- Member, board of directors of Public Counsel (2006-2010)
- Fellow of The American Bar Foundation
- Member, International Association of Defense Counsel
- Member, The American Bar Association
- Member, the Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Member, various litigation and trial related committees of the California, American, and Los Angeles County Bar Associations
- Member, Chancery Club
- Listed, Southern California Super Lawyer, Commercial Litigation, 2004-2019
- Listed, Chambers USA, Litigation (California, 2007)
- Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell (5.0 out of 5)
- Trav has also lectured and served as an instructor on trial issues for the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy