Maria Wood

Maria P. Wood is the Managing Partner in our Raleigh office and specializes in medical malpractice, aging services, correctional health care, professional malpractice and ethics, appellate, and general liability matters. In her more than twenty year legal career, she has gained significant litigation and trial experience.

Maria has devoted her career to the representation of health care providers. These providers include hospital systems, long-term care facilities (skilled nursing and assisted living facilities), physicians in countless specialties and their practices, and medical providers in correctional facilities.

With respect to her long-term care work, Maria appreciates the distinction between skilled nursing, assisted living, and other types of facilities, and this experience enables her to navigate her clients through the complex litigation process. Overall, Maria’s practice encompasses all aspects of litigation from the pre-suit stage through trial and appeal. She represents physicians and physician extenders not only in litigation but also in matters before licensing boards including the North Carolina Medical Board. She regularly defends against claims involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death.

Maria’s appellate practice includes all aspects of appellate litigation, from providing advice to clients about pursuing an appeal to briefing and arguments. Maria has appeared in front of the North Carolina Supreme Court, where she argued a critical procedural issue affecting North Carolina medical malpractice litigation. In addition, she has argued in front of the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. She has also served as amicus counsel for the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys in medical malpractice defense litigation.

Maria is a seasoned litigator and trial attorney who passionately advocates for each client with the expertise she has developed over the course of her career. She enjoys advising her clients not only as to their existing cases but also assisting with risk management and litigation strategies. Maria welcomes opportunities to give presentations to clients and their organizations about these issues.

Prior to joining HBS, Maria was a Partner at a long-established civil defense litigation firm, where she practiced primarily medical malpractice defense.

Maria earned her Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in Political Science from the University of North Carolina.