Maria P. Wood
Biography
Maria P. Wood is the Managing Partner in our Raleigh office and devotes her practice to defending healthcare providers in medical malpractice and aging services cases from the inception of a claim through and including trial and appeal. She also defends clients in correctional health care, professional malpractice and ethics, products liability, appellate, and general liability matters.
In her more than twenty-five year legal career, Maria has represented hospital systems, physicians, mid-level providers, and other healthcare providers in countless specialties and their practices, long-term care facilities (skilled nursing and assisted living facilities), and medical providers in correctional facilities. 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 and North Carolina Board of Nursing. She regularly defends hospitals and other providers against claims involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death, including birth injury cases.
With her aging services work, Maria appreciates the distinction between skilled nursing, assisted living, and other types of long-term care communities. This experience enables her to navigate her clients through the complex litigation process and risks unique to the aging services arena.
Maria has appeared in front of the North Carolina Supreme Court, where she argued a critical procedural issue affecting North Carolina medical malpractice litigation on behalf of a local hospital. She has also argued in front of the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. In 2025, Maria prevailed in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in a correctional healthcare case, successfully defending her client when the opposing party sought reversal of an order dismissing the case. She also previously 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, and she does so regularly.
Prior to joining HBS, Maria was an Equity Partner at a long-established civil defense litigation firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, 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.
Credentials
Admitted
State Courts:
- North Carolina, 2001
- Court of Appeals, Supreme Court
U.S. District Courts:
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
U.S. Courts of Appeals:
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Education
- J.D., Wake Forest University
- B.A., with honors, Political Science, University of North Carolina
Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Best Lawyers®, 2025 – 2026
Memberships
- American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, North Carolina Chapter
- DRI
- North Carolina Assisted Living Association
- North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys
- North Carolina Bar Association
- Wake County Bar Association
Presentations
- Trial Triumphs: Lessons from the Courtroom
North Carolina Defense Attorneys Association, June 13, 2025 - Labor Law
NCALA Administrator Certification Program; January, April & June of 2025 - Senior Living Litigation Trends
NCALA Fall Conference, October 9, 2024 - Senior Living Litigation Trends
WTW 2024 Healthcare Risk Conference; August 1, 2024 - Labor Law
NCALA Administrator Certification Program; February, April, August & November of 2024 - Senior Care: Current Liability, Licensure, and Regulatory Risk
Long Term Care Insurance ExecuSummit; September 12, 2023
- Labor Law
NCALA Administrator Certification Program; April, June & August of 2023 - Catastrophic Case Impact Focus Group
NCADA 46th Annual Meeting and Seminar; June 10, 2023 - Workforce Development Forum
North Carolina Assisted Living Association Fall Conference and Trade Show, 2018 - Medical Records Documentation: Litigation-Preparedness
North Carolina Assisted Living Association Fall Conference and Trade Show, 2013 - Protecting Your Agency from Liability for a Tragic Event
North Carolina Public Risk Management Association Annual Conference, 2013 - Transforming Adult Care Homes: Disaster-Preparedness Kit Against Litigation
North Carolina Association of Long-Term Care Facilities Annual Convention and Trade Show, 2009