Draft:Douglas J. Wood

Douglas J. Wood (born August 14, 1950) is an American attorney and author. With a legal career spanning over 45 years, he retired as an entertainment and media partner at Reed Smith. Wood is currently the principal of the Law Offices of Douglas J. Wood, PLLC.

Early Life and Education

Wood was born to Gilbert Fitzgerald and Rhoda Prois Wood. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rhode Island and his Juris Doctor from the Franklin Pierce Law Center. He later obtained a Master of Laws in Trade Regulation from New York University School of Law and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of New Hampshire. Wood has also served as an adjunct professor of advertising law at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law and at University College Cork in Ireland.

Career

Wood began his legal career as an associate at Abeles Clark & Osterberg in New York, where he advised musical performers and composers and participated in landmark trials. In 1977, he joined Hall Dickler Lawler Kent & Howley as an associate and eventually became Executive Managing Partner, overseeing all operations of the 40-lawyer firm. In 1985, the firm was renamed Hall Dickler Kent Friedman & Wood.

Wood has over 45 years of experience representing clients in the entertainment and media industries, including individuals and global companies, in areas such as advertising, marketing, promotions, motion pictures, television, publishing, unfair competition, intellectual property, and e-commerce. He served as legal advisor to several multinational trade organizations and was general counsel to the Association of National Advertisers and MMA Global. Wood is also the founder and an emeritus member of the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance.

Reed Smith LLP

In 2004, Wood and his colleagues at Hall Dickler joined Reed Smith LLP, where he founded the firm’s Entertainment and Media Law practice group. Under his leadership, the group grew into one of the largest and most respected entertainment law practices globally. Wood also served on the firm’s Global Executive Committee and as Managing Partner of its New York office. He retired as an equity partner in 2020 but continued as Senior Counsel until 2024.

Law Offices of Douglas J. Wood PLLC

In 2024, Wood established the Law Offices of Douglas J. Wood, PLLC, focusing on advising clients, mentoring lawyers, and supporting legal practice transitions.

Awards and Achievements

Wood has been recognized by Chambers and Partners, the Legal 500, The Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers. Some of his notable achievements include:

• Serving as General Counsel to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) for over 20 years.
• Leading the 2023 ANA study on programmatic media buying, which uncovered billions in waste in digital media buying and proposed solutions to improve industry transparency.
• Drafting and updating the ANA’s Master Media Buying Services Agreement Template, considered the industry standard.
• Leading the 2016 ANA investigation into media buying practices, which revealed transparency issues and involved collaboration with the FBI.
• Negotiating four major collective bargaining agreements as Chief Negotiator for the Joint Policy Committee, LLC, representing billions of dollars in advertising industry spending.
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Franklin Pierce School of Law (2024).
• Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of New Hampshire School of Law (2011).
• U.S. Patent No. 7,756,848 for a mapping system for intellectual property data.

Other notable accomplishments include serving as lead counsel in the $700 million multi-tranche sale of Millennium Import Company to LVMH and founding the first Western law firm in Romania after the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu.

Philanthropy

Wood has made significant contributions to legal education and philanthropy throughout his career. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Franklin Pierce Law Center for over 20 years, including 15 years as Chair, where he played a pivotal role in facilitating the law school’s merger with the University of New Hampshire. He continues to support the institution as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. Wood has also endowed the Wood Scholars scholarship fund, which exceeds $1 million, and has donated over $200,000 to the Sports & Entertainment Law Institute. Additionally, he contributed $100,000 to support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Books

Non-Fiction

• Please Be Ad-Vised: The Legal Reference Guide for the Advertising Executive (7th edition).
• 101 Things I Want to Say... the Collection (2014).
• Legal Problems in Advertising (2003, co-authored with Felix H. Kent).

Fiction

• Presidential Intentions (2014) and its sequels, Presidential Declarations (2015) and Presidential Conclusions (2017), a political thriller trilogy.
• Dark Data: Control, Alt, Delete (2020).
• Dragon on the Far Side of the Moon (2021).
• Blood on the Bayou (2022).
• The Shakespeare Killer (2023).

Autobiographical

• From Dawn to Dusk: How to Build a Multimillion Dollar Law Practice and Then Give It Away (2024).

Personal Life

Wood resides in North Carolina with his wife of 52 years, Carol Ann. They have three children and five grandchildren. He holds dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland.