Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP

What Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP does

Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP (WSHB) is a national litigation defense law firm founded in 1997 and headquartered in Los Angeles, operating through 42+ office locations across the United States. The firm is organized as a limited liability partnership and employs 550+ trial-tested attorneys who have collectively taken more than 2,000 cases to verdict. WSHB provides defense representation across 41+ practice areas, including insurance coverage and defense, complex tort and casualty, product liability, intellectual property, cybersecurity and data privacy, blockchain and cryptocurrency, construction, transportation, professional liability, employment law, commercial and business litigation, medical malpractice, real estate, environmental law, and mass tort and class-action defense. The firm does not sell a proprietary software or technology platform; its core technology consists of standard legal-practice tools and litigation management infrastructure.

WSHB generates revenue through professional-service fees from litigation defense engagements, using billable hours, contingency arrangements, and creative fee structures tailored to client matters. The firm's primary customer segments are insurance carriers (coverage disputes, liability defense, professional and commercial general liability), corporate defendants including Fortune 100 corporations (employment, product, premises liability, and commercial disputes), and self-insured businesses facing high-exposure tort claims. The go-to-market is enterprise-field-sales style: client acquisition via professional reputation, trial results, industry relationships, and direct business development across the 42+ offices. Go-to-market activity is supported by an active newsroom, publications, social channels, conference participation, and podcast collaborations.

WSHB's competitive positioning rests on its coast-to-coast geographic reach, demonstrated trial record, and diversity rankings (top 10 nationally for diversity, female partners, female lawyers, and Hispanic lawyers; 11th on the National Law Journal 2025 Women in Law Scorecard). The firm holds leadership by Executive Chairman and co-founder Daniel Berman and a partnership of office-level Managing Partners (e.g., Richard Zelonka Jr. in Atlanta, Dhvanil Zaveri in Birmingham, Craig Derrig in Chicago, Christopher Seusing in Boston and Westport). Notable milestones include the 2026 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Award for Law Firm Innovator of the Year and Vanguard Award finalist status at the 2026 California Legal Awards, with no acquisitions, public listings, or external investment disclosed.

Name

Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP

Legal name

Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP

Website

https://wshblaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP is a national litigation defense law firm with 550+ trial-tested attorneys across 42+ U.S. offices, serving Fortune 100 corporations, insurance carriers, and self-insured businesses across 41+ practice areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM), Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Litigation defense
• Legal services
• Insurance defense
• Corporate counsel
• Trial practice

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices43 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: WSHB generates revenue through billable legal services including hourly fees, contingency arrangements, and creative fee structures. The firm handles complex litigation defense matters for corporate clients and insurance companies across all aspects of litigation including trials, appeals, and settlements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP is a national litigation defense law firm representing corporate clients and insurance carriers across a broad range of practice areas. The firm delivers trial-tested legal representation in areas including insurance defense, corporate and commercial litigation, employment law, construction, and professional liability. It operates through a network of regional offices serving Fortune 100 and middle-market companies.

Product overview

Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP (WSHB) is a national litigation defense law firm offering comprehensive legal services across multiple practice areas rather than a unified software product. The firm's service portfolio includes Insurance Coverage & Defense, Complex Tort and Casualty, Product Liability, Intellectual Property, Cybersecurity and Data Privacy, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, Construction, Transportation, Professional Liability, Employment Law, Commercial and Business Litigation, Medical Malpractice, Real Estate and Land Use, Environmental Law, and Mass Torts and Class-Action Defense. With 550+ trial-tested attorneys operating from 42 office locations across the United States, the firm provides coast-to-coast litigation defense services with a focus on trial-ready representation and strategic case resolution. The firm does not offer a software product or technology platform; it provides traditional legal counsel and litigation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insurance Defense
• Corporate and Commercial Litigation
• Employment Law
• Construction Law

Quantifiable outcome

• Law Firm Innovator of the Year award at 2026 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Farella, Braun, and Martel LLPminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWSHB collaborated with Farella, Braun, and Martel LLP as co-counsel in the Fetzer Vineyards trademark defense case. WSHB attorneys Steven R. Disharoon and Anoush C. Holada handled the case along with Robert C. Holtzapple of Farella, Braun, and Martel LLP.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP: National litigation defense firm of comparable scale with a similar insurance defense, tort, product liability, and complex trial practice, and a comparable coast-to-coast office footprint; one of the closest direct competitors to WSHB.
• Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP: Large U.S. litigation defense firm with broad practice coverage including insurance, employment, professional liability, and tort defense; directly competes with WSHB for carrier panel work and Fortune 100 litigation defense engagements.
• Jackson Lewis P.C. National employment law and litigation defense firm with 60+ U.S. offices; overlapping employment law defense, class action, and workplace litigation practice that directly intersects with WSHB's employment and commercial litigation offerings.
• Goldberg Segalla LLP: National litigation and insurance defense firm with comparable practice breadth across insurance coverage, product liability, professional liability, and commercial disputes; comparable mid-large platform competing for similar carrier and corporate clients.
• Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP: National litigation defense firm with deep insurance, product liability, professional liability, and tort practices; comparable multi-office U.S. footprint and direct overlap with WSHB's core defense offering.
• Clyde & Co LLP: Global insurance and commercial litigation firm with a significant U.S. footprint serving insurance carriers and corporate defendants; WSHB's 'London Market Head' role signals direct overlap in cross-border insurance coverage work.
• Akerman LLP: Major U.S. law firm with strong commercial litigation, insurance, real estate, and product liability defense practices; competes with WSHB in similar state and federal defense matters for corporate and insurance clients.
• Fisher Phillips LLP: National labor and employment defense firm with comparable employment litigation practice; competes directly with WSHB's employment law and workplace litigation defense offering for corporate defendants.

Emerging players

• Manning Gross + Massenburg LLP: Boston-based litigation and insurance defense firm with growing national footprint; partial overlap with WSHB in insurance coverage, professional liability, and complex tort defense work.

Broad incumbents

• Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP: AmLaw 200 firm with established insurance coverage and commercial litigation practices; broader full-service portfolio but directly competitive for insurance carrier coverage matters where WSHB's insurance team practices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/wshblaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/WSHBLAW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wood-smith-henning-&-berman

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP