
Partner
John W. Woods Jr.
- Banking and Financial Services
- Privacy and Cybersecurity
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
JOHN WOODS is an acknowledged leader in handling cybersecurity matters, data security incidents, data governance, trade secret theft, and related investigation matters. He is one of the few lawyers that has led multiple global responses to data integrity attacks involving the financial services industry. He also served as the lead lawyer advising a Fortune 500 entity on the legal response to the NotPetya malware incident in 2017, and advised a number of other organizations on the response to ransomware and data extortion claims. As a counselor, based on his experience in handling data integrity and operationally impactful malware incidents, he is sought out for his advice in the areas of cyber resilience and data governance.
John has been noted in a number of surveys of the best attorneys for cybersecurity globally and, in particular, recognized for his ability to translate complex technical issues into a legal framework. In a recent ranking, The Legal 500 noted a client’s comment that “John is the most innovative and solution-oriented lawyer I have ever worked with.” This same ranking quoted a second client who stated that he “is exceptionally knowledgeable in his understanding of cybersecurity resilience practices and may be one of only a handful of individuals globally with direct experience assisting large complicated technical environments with deep legal complexity in the process of transition to hybrid and cloud architectures with identified function and service prioritizations.” In addition to The Legal 500, John has been recognized for his work in the cyber investigative areas in Washingtonian Magazine and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers in Business.
John serves on the Alumni Board at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he has regularly advised the dean and faculty on the development of cybersecurity and privacy curriculum and programming.
John has been noted in a number of surveys of the best attorneys for cybersecurity globally and, in particular, recognized for his ability to translate complex technical issues into a legal framework. In a recent ranking, The Legal 500 noted a client’s comment that “John is the most innovative and solution-oriented lawyer I have ever worked with.” This same ranking quoted a second client who stated that he “is exceptionally knowledgeable in his understanding of cybersecurity resilience practices and may be one of only a handful of individuals globally with direct experience assisting large complicated technical environments with deep legal complexity in the process of transition to hybrid and cloud architectures with identified function and service prioritizations.” In addition to The Legal 500, John has been recognized for his work in the cyber investigative areas in Washingtonian Magazine and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers in Business.
John serves on the Alumni Board at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he has regularly advised the dean and faculty on the development of cybersecurity and privacy curriculum and programming.
Capabilities
SERVICES AND INDUSTRIES
- Banking and Financial Services
- Privacy and Cybersecurity
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
- Big Data, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence
- Congressional Investigations
- Consumer and Other Financial Services Litigation and Enforcement
- Consumer Protection and Unfair Trade Practices
- Consumer Regulatory and State Attorneys General
- Contract Litigation
- Corporate Risk Management and Critical Matters
- Cybersecurity, Cybercrime and Data Breaches
- Economic Analysis
- eDiscovery and Data Analytics
- Financial Information and Privacy Law
- Information Security and Data Breaches
- Insurance Regulatory
- Internal Investigations
- Investment Screening
- IT Procurement and Outsourcing
- Law Firm Representation
- Telecommunications, Broadband and Video
News & Insights
Credentials
Admissions & Certifications
- District of Columbia
- Virginia
Education
- University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1995
- Colby College, B.A., 1990