Wilson Sonsini Adds Former DOJ Antitrust Trial Attorney Julia Tarver Wood

Longtime Litigator Brings Government and Private Practice Experience to Advise Clients on Complex Global Regulatory and Antitrust Matters

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, today announced that Julia Tarver Wood has joined its Antitrust and Competition practice in Washington, D.C., as a partner. Her arrival fortifies the firm’s antitrust litigation bench—particularly in high-stakes technology and financial services matters—while sharpening its complex litigation capabilities amid rising enforcement and global scrutiny.

Wood arrives having served as senior litigation counsel in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where she was lead trial counsel in a major Section 2 conduct case.

“Julia has operated at the highest levels of antitrust enforcement during a defining period for the technology sector,” said Doug Clark, managing partner at Wilson Sonsini. “She understands how major investigations and trials unfold—and how those outcomes reverberate across industries—giving our clients actionable insight and a meaningful advantage in today’s dynamic regulatory environment.”

Brent Snyder, head of Wilson Sonsini’s Regulatory and Compliance Department, added, “Julia is the kind of lawyer clients want when everything is on the line. Her tenure at the DOJ, paired with other significant trial and litigation experience, enables her to deliver discernment, credibility, and results when it matters most. With Julia on board, we enhance our ability to support companies facing complex and consequential antitrust and regulatory matters globally.”

Prior to joining the DOJ in 2023, Wood was a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where she was a nationally recognized litigator representing clients across multiple industries. Her decades of experience include defending global financial institutions in multidistrict antitrust actions and in civil and regulatory disputes arising from the financial crisis; representing leading technology companies and life sciences innovators in bet-the-company disputes; and serving as lead trial counsel in a series of high-stakes cases. Wood’s clients span finance, technology, and life sciences, as well as high-profile individuals.

Alongside her commercial practice, Wood has demonstrated a strong commitment to pro bono work, including representing detainees at Guantanamo Bay and individuals facing capital punishment, providing critical advocacy for vulnerable clients.

“Innovative and growth-minded companies need passionate litigators with the experience necessary to tackle their toughest challenges with creativity, determination, and clear-eyed judgment—especially in today’s shifting enforcement climate,” said Wood. “Wilson Sonsini delivers the full package, combining deep regulatory insight, strong trial capabilities, and a nuanced understanding of how innovative businesses grow and compete. I’m excited to be part of that.”

Wood earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was a Stone Scholar, a managing editor of the Columbia Law Review, and received the school’s two prizes for trial advocacy. She obtained her B.A., cum laude, from Rhodes College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Wood later clerked for Judge Sonia Sotomayor on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Wilson Sonsini’s antitrust litigation team is a go-to choice for high-stakes competition disputes, delivering decisive wins for leading technology and industrial companies. The team recently secured a complete victory for Zillow Group, defeating a preliminary injunction in a headline-grabbing monopolization case and prompting the plaintiff to voluntarily dismiss its claims. It has also achieved major successes for global manufacturers, including Continental Tire, where it won dismissal of antitrust claims in multidistrict price-fixing litigation.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini’s services and legal disciplines have focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leading provider to growing and established clients seeking legal counsel to complete sophisticated corporate and technology transactions; manage governance and enterprise-scale matters; assist with intellectual property development, protection, and IP-driven transactions; represent them in contested disputes; and/or advise them on antitrust or other regulatory matters. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has more than 1,000 attorneys and 17 offices in 16 technology, business, and regulatory markets across the United States, Asia, and Europe. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.