WilmerHale is pleased to announce that Swain Wood, former first assistant attorney general of North Carolina and general counsel to then-state attorney general, now Governor Josh Stein, has joined the firm as a partner and co-chair of the firm’s industry leading State Attorneys General Practice.

Wood was a critical player in the North Carolina State Attorney General’s Office for over six years, where he handled many of its most complex investigations and negotiations, often working closely with attorneys general and senior staff in other states.

Wood, who will be based in the firm’s Washington, DC office, is well-known and trusted by officials on both sides of the political aisle in state attorneys general offices across the nation, in part for his central role during his time in government in leading the multi-state negotiations of the national opioid settlements. He joins Paul Connell, the Republican co-chair of WilmerHale’s very active and bipartisan State Attorneys General Practice.

Wood joins WilmerHale from a Raleigh-Durham, NC boutique law firm where he represented clients in high-stakes, multi-state investigations and regulatory enforcement matters brought by state attorneys general, the US Department of Justice and other federal regulators. He is respected as a stellar courtroom litigator in defense of clients in disputes with government actors.

At WilmerHale, Wood’s practice builds on his experience representing clients in matters involving numerous industry sectors, including social media, pharmaceuticals, financial services, software and healthcare.

“Swain has an extraordinary reputation in the state attorneys general community, and we are delighted to welcome him to the firm. He brings a wealth of experience and insight to clients facing enforcement and regulatory challenges, especially as Democrats focus their efforts on state enforcement,” said Anjan Sahni, WilmerHale’s managing partner.

“Having worked with many law firms in my public and private sector roles, WilmerHale stood out for the exceptional quality of its lawyering, commitment to excellence and its clients and respect for public service,” Wood said. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues to assist clients, especially in this era of increasingly assertive state attorneys general.”

Wood earned a BA in government from Georgetown University in 1992 and his JD from Harvard Law School in 1997.