Gordon S. Woodward

Gordon Woodward is a partner in the Litigation Department, Managing Partner of the Washington, DC Office, and Co-Chair of the firm’s Construction Industry Practice Group. His practice concentrates on litigation matters including construction, product liability, and related insurance coverage issues. In addition, Mr. Woodward has significant experience in several non-litigation areas including the drafting of construction contract documents, the preparation of complex insurance coverage opinions, and counseling nonprofit entities on governance and contractual matters.

Other Distinctions

•District of Columbia Pro Bono Honor Roll Recipient, 2012-2015, High Honors
•Named a “Washington, D.C. Super Lawyer” for insurance coverage, 2013-2016, 2018-2019
•Named a “Washington, D.C. Super Lawyer” for construction litigation, 2012
•Recipient, Earl G. Harrison Pro Bono Award, 2009

News & Publications

•Construction Workers’ Return and COVID-19
•Jonathan Stern and Gordon Woodward Named to Super Lawyers
•Philadelphia’s and Pennsylvania’s construction codes have changed: Here’s what you need to know
•ALI Approves Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance
•ALI Approves Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance
•Jonathan Stern and Gordon Woodward Named to Super Lawyers
•Gordon Woodward Comments on Instructive Court Opinion Regarding Communication with In-House Counsel
•Treasury Issues Report Proposing Changes to FSOC Designation Process
•Gordon Woodward Honored by National Black Child Development Institute
•CLM Construction Law Committee’s Wiki Page for Maryland Construction Law
•Many Schnader Attorneys Named to Super Lawyers 2016
•Manufacturers and Suppliers Win Big in Pennsylvania Economic Loss Doctrine Argument
•New Rules Make Construction Arbitration More Attractive
•Super Lawyers Recognizes Many Schnader Attorneys in 2015
•Model Jury Instructions for Construction Litigation
•Gordon Woodward Named Managing Partner of Schnader’s Washington, D.C. Office
•Super Lawyers Recognizes Many Schnader Attorneys in 2014
•Writing a Reservation of Rights: A 50-State Compendium (Delaware Chapter)
•NBCDI Publishes Being Black Is Not a Risk Factor; Takes Part in White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans’ panel
•Super Lawyers Recognizes Many Schnader Attorneys in 2013
•“Clarifying Media Reports Regarding Maryland Law and Causation in Asbestos Exposure Cases” - part 2
•Clarifying Media Reports Regarding Maryland Law and Causation in Asbestos Exposure Cases - part 1
•Schnader Attorneys Recognized as Members of the 2012 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll
•Supreme Court of Florida Holds That Economic Loss Doctrine Applies Only to Product Liability Cases
•“Construction Projects, Economic Loss and the Integrated Product Doctrine”
•Flood Insurance Update
•Super Lawyers Recognizes Many Schnader Attorneys in 2012
•Pro Bono Newsletter Summer 2012
•Courts Begin to Endorse Use of Predictive Coding
•Predictive Coding Ordered in Global Aerospace Inc., et al, v. Landow Aviation, L.P. dba Dulles Jet Center, et al
•Schnader Successfully Argues a Motion In Favor of the Use of Predictive Coding in the Discovery of Electronically Stored Information
•“The Termination Provision in Fidelity Insurance Policies: Practitioners Discuss a Split in Authority”
•Pro Bono Newsletter Summer 2011
•Gordon Woodward Offers Comment on a Court’s Decision to Award $1.4 Million Summary Judgment Motion in Favor of Firm Client Graciano Corp.
•Schnader Representing the State of Maryland and The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania in a Suit Filed Against the Federal Government Regarding a 2008 Medevac Crash
•Pro Bono Newsletter Fall 2009
•Schnader’s Woodward Remarks on Jury’s Decision in Favor of Firm Client
•Schnader Successfully Defends a Builder’s Storm Water Management System Against a Multi-Million Dollar Claim
•Troubled Asset Relief Program Imposes Minimal Restrictions on Executive Compensation and Corporate Governance
•“Fresh Air, Fresh Water, Peanuts and Booze: Battlegrounds for Airline Preemption in 2008”
•Litigating the Aviation Case: From Pre-Trial to Closing Argument, Chapter 13 - Cleared Direct to Federal Court: Why Aviation Cases Are More Likely Than Other Types to Take Flight From State Courts
•Schnader Receives Frederick Douglass Human Rights Award
•Pro Bono Newsletter, “Guantanamo Litigation Enters New Phase”
•Schnader Names Three New Partners
•Pro Bono Newsletter, “Guantanamo Bay Update”
•Pro Bono Newsletter, “Schnader Takes on Representation of Guantanamo Bay Detainees”
•Pro Bono Newsletter, “Schnader Joins the Innocence Project”
•“Deep Vein Thrombosis - Two Recent Opinions Suggest More Litigation to Come”
•“Federal Court Considers Motions in In Re September 11 Litigation”
•“Wrongful Death Claims and the Federal Tort Claims Act: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Presentment”

Community & Pro Bono

Mr. Woodward’s community and pro bono focus is on education, access to justice, and civil rights. He worked for many years with the National Black Child Development Institute, a national association dedicated to supporting educators and assuring educational opportunities to minority students. After working with the organization for many years, Mr. Woodward was elected to the Board of Directors, where he served for nine years. For three of these years, Mr. Woodward served as Second Vice-Chairman. Regarding pro bono work, Mr. Woodward was very active in the prosecution of Guantanamo Bay habeas corpus actions and secured the release and resettlement of five individuals from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Mr. Woodward is currently a member of the Screening Committee for the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project (MAIP) and actively screens cases for acceptance by the MAIP Panel.

Pro Bono Matters

•Al-Sharekh v. Bush, 05-cv-583-RJL, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (involving two brothers).
•Tumani v. Bush, 05-cv-526-RMU, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (involving a father and son).
•Mattan v. Obama, 09-cv-745-RMU, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (involving a single individual).

As a result of these Guantanamo Bay representations, Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP has been recognized, along with a number of other law firms, with several awards including:

•The 2007 Frederick Douglass Human Rights Award from the Southern Center for Human Rights; and
•The 2007 Beacon of Justice Award from the National Legal Aid and Defender Association.

In 2009, the Firm honored Mr. Woodward with its Earl G. Harrison Pro Bono Award for work related to these Guantanamo Bay detention cases.

Community Activities

•Board of Directors for the National Black Child Development Institute, 2008-2017
•Second Vice-Chair, Board of Directors for the National Black Child Development Institute, 2011-2014

In 2017, The National Black Child Development Institute presented Mr. Woodward with its 2017 Distinguished Service Award - in recognition of nine years of commitment, service and leadership to NBCDI.

Related Events

•Schnader’s Washington, D.C. Office Is Moving to a New Location
•Schnader’s Washington, D.C. Office Hosted “Emerging Trends in Governance and Tax for D.C. Nonprofit Organizations” Luncheon