Dustin E. Woods is a partner and a member of the General Liability Practice with approximately 20 years of high-exposure civil defense litigation experience. Mr. Woods focuses his practice on catastrophic injury, professional liability (insurance and real estate agents/broker defense), municipality law (representing counties and cities across California), misappropriation of name and likeness/trade secrets, appellate, fraud, motor vehicle negligence, premises liability, landlord/tenant, products liability and wrongful death litigation. Based in Santa Barbara, CA he litigates matters across California including the following counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Kern, Colusa, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Placer, Colusa, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Siskiyou and Tulare. Mr. Woods has been admitted pro hac vice in Nevada and Florida. Additionally, he is a member of the Lewis Brisbois 24/7 Rapid Response Transportation Team for Central California. 

Mr. Woods has tried numerous cases successfully to verdict and has successful arbitration experience.  He has overseen/managed the defense and resolution of hundreds of cases over his twenty-year career (through trial, arbitration, settlement or summary judgment) for major insurance companies and private clients alike.  

Professional Presentations

• Webinar, “Insurance policies are not created equal,” Insurance Management Club of Columbia University, October, 2020
• Presenter, Forensic Expert Witness Association ("FEWA"), Beverly Hills, CA

Admissions

• State Bar Admissions
  • California
• United States District Courts
  • United States District Court for the Central District of California
• United States Courts of Appeals
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Admissions

California (2004)

U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (2004)

U.S. District Court, Central District of California (2004)

Awards & Honors

• 2013 Super Lawyer, Rising Star
• 2014 Super Lawyer, Rising Star

Education

Whittier College, Costa Mesa, California

Juris Doctor, 2003

Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California

Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1999