Buchalter Law Firm

Partner

Kendall Woods is a Partner in the Firm’s Chicago office, Co-Chair of the Construction Law and Public Contracts practice, and a member of the Litigation practice group. Ms. Woods concentrates her practice in the area of construction law, regularly representing owners, developers, contractors, and subcontractors nationwide. She negotiates construction contracts, advises clients in risk mitigation and dispute avoidance strategies, and represents clients in all phases of litigation and dispute resolution proceedings when necessary.

Ms. Woods has extensive experience working with clients on delay and lost productivity disputes, design and construction defect disputes, wrongful termination, insurance coverage issues in the construction industry, and construction injury. She also has significant experience in commercial and business law issues, copyright and trademark litigation, aviation litigation, products liability litigation, premises liability litigation, insurance claims, and corporate litigation.

Ms. Woods works with clients to find creative and cost-effective solutions to resolve their complex legal issues. She believes that the practice of law should always focus on obtaining successful outcomes for her clients, whether that means the avoidance of disputes or prevailing in litigation. She takes a proactive approach to counseling her clients on the risks and benefits of each stage of dispute resolution because Kendall knows that the best path to a client’s success is ensuring the client is always fully informed and involved at every stage.

She believes that early involvement strongly positions her clients to avoid potential claims and presents an opportunity for clients to resolve and avoid unnecessary conflict. Her clients know that she provides creative solutions to assist in resolving disputes. When early efforts at resolution prove unsuccessful, Ms. Woods’ innovative and effective litigation skills consistently achieve positive results for her clients.

In addition to her legal practice, Ms. Woods believes it is important to participate and gain experience in other capacities of the legal field. As a result, she taught upcoming attorneys the skills of legal writing during her four years as an adjunct professor of legal writing at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She also spent one year as a staff attorney for the Illinois Supreme Court and served as a judicial extern for a district judge at the United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois. Ms. Woods regularly speaks at conferences on prevailing issues in the construction industry and is a regular contributor to various industry publications.

Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing, Loyola University Chicago School of Law (2015 – 2019) National Association of Women in Construction, Midwest Region, Chicago Metro Chapter Past President Past Treasurer Member, American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law Steering Committee, Division 7, Insurance, Surety & Liens Publication Committee Diversity Committee Member, Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys Member, Professional Women in Construction, Chicago Chapter Member, Construction Financial Management Association Member, Chicago Bar Association Member, Illinois State Bar Association Member, Chicagoland Associated General Contractors

Admissions Illinois United States District Court Northern District of Illinois United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Education Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D., cum laude Indiana University, B.S.