Robert W. Wood

Tax Lawyer, Attorney, Managing Partner, Author

American

Quick Info

ProfessionTax Lawyer, Attorney, Managing Partner, Author
NationalityAmerican

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Bio/Wiki

SummaryRobert W. Wood is an American tax lawyer and the founder and managing partner of Wood LLP, a private law firm in San Francisco, California. He is known for his work on the tax treatment of legal settlements and judgments.
Firm OriginWood LLP began operating in San Francisco in 1993 under the name Wood & Porter.
Former Name of FirmWood & Porter
Professional Memberships
  • Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel
  • Member of the Law Society of England and Wales
  • Member of the Canadian Bar Association
  • Member of the Law Council of Australia
  • Certified Tax Specialist in California
  • Qualified solicitor in England and Wales
Recognitions in Listings
  • Who's Who in America
  • American Law
  • California, the World, and the West
Publications CountHas written or edited more than 35 substantive tax books and authored over a thousand law review and other articles, according to the firm's website.

Educational Qualification(s)

UndergraduateA.B. in English from Humboldt State University (1976)
Law DegreeJ.D. from the University of Chicago Law School (1979)

Relationships & More

Business Partners
  • Donald P. Board, Partner
  • Alex Z. Brown, Partner
  • Colette J. Karam, Of Counsel
  • Jeffrey T. Wax, Of Counsel
  • Tenzing N. Tunden, Senior Associate
  • Daniel J. Krumbein, Associate
Co-authoring Collaborators
  • Donald P. Board
  • Alex Z. Brown
Former Firm Partners
  • Dashiell Shapiro
  • Jonathan Van Loo
  • Henry K. Chen
Praised ByFormer IRS Commissioner Lawrence B. Gibbs

Career

Current RoleFounder and Managing Partner of Wood LLP
Areas of Focus
  • Taxation of legal settlements and judgments
  • Complex tax matters
  • Tax disputes and expert testimony
  • Tax publications
  • Litigation finance tax issues
Bar Admissions
  • California
  • New York
  • District of Columbia
  • Montana
  • Washington
  • Arizona
  • Texas
  • Wyoming
Teaching Positions
  • Taught at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (1981 to 1982)
  • Appointed adjunct professor in the LL.M. programme at Golden Gate University School of Law (2004)
Bar and Committee Roles
  • Member of the Taxation Law Advisory Commission of the California Board of Legal Specialization (from 1989, served until 1992)
  • Chaired the Taxation Law Advisory Commission (1991 to 1992)
  • Co-Chairman of the Corporate Tax Committee of the California State Bar Tax Section (1991 to 1992)
  • Served on the Executive Committee of the State Bar of California's General and Solo Practice Section (1994 to 1995)
  • Served on the Executive Committee of the State Bar of California Taxation Section (from 2000, served until 2003)
  • Vice Chairman of the Taxation Section of the State Bar of California (2002 to 2003)
  • Chairman of the S Corporations Conference (1991)
  • Planning committee member for Tax Planning Conferences for Closely Held Corporations (1988 to 1990)
  • Planning committee member for the S Corporations Conference (1990 to 1993)
  • Joined the planning committee for the Tax Disputes Conference (1994)
  • Participated in the Mentor Program of the General and Solo Practice Section of the State Bar of California
Editorial and Publishing Roles
  • Editor-in-Chief of The M&A Tax Report, published by CCH (1992 to 2019)
  • Contributed to Legal Checklists published by West Group and Callaghan (2000)
  • Contributed to California Torts, published by Matthew Bender (1999)
  • Contributed to Modern Trust Forms
  • Consultant for the second edition of Wrongful Employment Termination Practice, published by CEB (1997)
  • Publications released under his guidance include Journal of Corporate Taxation (WG&L, 1985 to 1989), Corporate Taxation (Faulkner & Gray, 1988 to 1992), Bankruptcy Law Review (Faulkner & Gray, 1992), and The Practical Accountant (Faulkner & Gray, 1993 to 2009)
  • Joined the Bloomberg BNA Real Estate Advisory Board (2012, served until 2014)
Books
  • Taxation of Damage Awards and Settlement Payments (1991)
  • Qualified Settlement Funds and Section 468B (2009)
  • Legal Guide to Independent Contractor Status (2010)
  • Tax Aspects of Settlements and Judgments
Writing and Media
  • Tax articles archived on Forbes.com (2009 to 2026)
  • Regular articles for Tax Notes Federal and State with Donald P. Board and Alex Z. Brown
  • Tax columns published in the Daily Journal's San Francisco and Los Angeles editions (1992 to 2026)
  • Quoted by The Wall Street Journal, CNN, U.S. News, CBS Money Watch, Barron's, International Tax Review, NPR Marketplace, and Fox News
  • Appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live (August 2023), KNX News (February 2024), Comedy Central's The Daily Show (19 April 2024), Wealth Formula podcast (October 2025), and Unpacking the Billionaire Tax series published by the Daily Journal (August 2026)
Speeches
  • ABA Virtual Fall Tax Meeting (October 2025)
  • San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (December 2025)
  • American Academy of Attorney-CPAs and the National Employment Lawyers Association (June 2026)
Awards and Honours
  • Frank I. Haswell Award (2023)
  • Best Lawyers' Lawyer of the Year (2015)
  • Judson Klein Award
  • AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell
  • Named among America's Best Lawyers by Forbes Magazine
  • Described as a nationally renowned expert on the taxation of legal awards by the U.S. Tax Court
  • Named among the top six tax lawyers with a "Best of Class" distinction
  • Called the "Section 104 guru" by TaxProf Blog
  • Described as a leading authority for tax practitioners by Tax Notes
  • Listed for tax law in Best Lawyers in America (2006 to 2026)
  • Listed in Super Lawyers (2005 to 2025)

Social Media

Official Websitehttps://www.woodllp.com/
LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/wood-llp/
YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@WoodLLPTax

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Robert W. Wood completed his law education at the University of Chicago Law School in 1979 and received his California law licence in 1980.
2. He is licensed to practise in multiple U.S. states and is also qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales.
3. He chaired the Taxation Law Advisory Commission of the California Board of Legal Specialization from 1991 to 1992.
4. He is known as the "Section 104 guru" in tax circles, a nickname given by TaxProf Blog.
5. In April 2026, a West Hollywood law firm sued Robert W. Wood and Wood LLP in California state court, alleging professional negligence and breach of fiduciary duty and claiming faulty advice caused a loss of $2 million in interest.
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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