Dan Berman co-founded Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman in 1997 with three partners and a conviction that the defense bar was ready for reinvention. As Executive Chairman, Dan has spent nearly three decades driving large-scale strategy and operational growth. He transformed a two-office California startup into one of the country's leading national litigation defense firms. Today, the firm has over 550 attorneys and more than 40 offices, coast to coast. All growth was built organically, without a single merger or acquisition.
Dan brings more than 20 years of experience as a frontline litigator. He has tried cases of every level of complexity on behalf of Fortune 500 corporations, mid-market businesses, and some of the world's largest domestic and international insurance carriers. That ground-level experience gave him something no consultant could replicate. He gained a precise understanding of where law firms waste time, lose money, and leave value on the table for clients.
Drawing on that foundation, he built something the industry had never seen. He created portfolio-wide analytics that give clients genuine visibility into their litigation programs: cross-matter spend, outlier identification, venue intelligence, and indemnity benchmarking. The legal industry took notice. In 2026, Dan was named Legalweek Innovator of the Year.
As Executive Chairman, Dan sets WSHB’s direction and drives growth. He ensures the firm’s vision stays aligned with client needs. He also serves as trusted counsel to a select group of companies, advising on high-stakes litigation strategy and program management. Day-to-day execution belongs to the exceptional lawyers he and his partners have spent 30 years recruiting and developing. Dan’s role is to make sure the whole system works-and never stops improving.
Beyond the firm, Dan serves on the City of Hope National Insurance Industry Council Board of Directors, the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors, and the Palisades YMCA Board of Directors. He is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and has been named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s LA500 Most Influential People list. He also teaches at the Litigation Management Institute at Columbia University Law School and Loyola (Chicago) Law School - because changing an industry means investing in the leaders who will carry it forward.
Newsroom
News
•WSHB Executive Chairman & Co-Founder Daniel Berman Named Legalweek Innovator of the Year
Firm News, 3.10.26
Community Activities
•City of Hope National Insurance Industry Council Board of Directors
•Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors
•Palisades-Malibu YMCA Board of Directors
•YPO Santa Monica Bay Charitable Foundation Board of Directors
•CLM Advisory Board
•CLM Litigation Management Task Force Steering Committee
•California Building Industry Association Legal Action Subcommittee
In the News
•WSHB Executive Chairman & Co-Founder Daniel Berman Named Legalweek Innovator of the Year
Honors & Recognitions
•Winner, Innovator of the Year - Law Firm (Individual) at the Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards (2026)
•AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
•Named a Southern California Super Lawyer (2006 - 2014, 2016 - 2024, 2026)
•Los Angeles Business Journal's LA500 Most Influential People List (2018 - 2020, 2025)
•Finalist, 'Best Managed National Firm,' Managing Partners' Forum (MPF) Awards (2015)
•Finalist, 'Outside Counsel of the Year Award,' Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) (2015)
•Senior fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
•Barrister, Order of Justitia
•Corporate Counsel, Business Litigation (2010 - 2011)
•Named a Southern California Rising Star (2004)
