John Wood. Courtesy photo.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Thursday announced the hire of a former U.S. attorney and current Hughes Hubbard & Reed partner as its chief legal officer and general counsel.

John Wood will begin his new role at the prominent national business advocacy group on June 4.

Thomas J. Donohue, the president and CEO of the Chamber, said he is excited to welcome Wood as the head of the organization's legal department.

“John's legal career spans 25 years and all three branches of government, experience that will be invaluable to the U.S. Chamber's legal team,” Donohue said in the announcement of Wood's hire.

Wood will be replacing Lily Fu Claffee, who left the Chamber of Commerce to become the general counsel of Fox News, a move that was announced by the network late last week.

“I am incredibly honored to be joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and contributing to its mission of creating jobs and advancing the interests of American businesses,” Wood said in an email to Corporate Counsel.

His position will include overseeing the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center, which files suits challenging government actions and regulations it finds are unlawful and “harm free enterprise.” The center also files amicus curiae briefs to educate courts on the practical implications of legal decisions for the business community.

For instance, the Chamber's litigation center took Facebook Inc.'s side in a dispute about facial recognition technology and privacy, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to hear an appeal from the social network of a lower court's ruling.

In his email, Wood also expressed his gratitude to his partners and colleagues at Hughes Hubbard in Washington, D.C., where he has spent “nine very rewarding years working with outstanding lawyers and clients.”

At Hughes Hubbard, Wood focuses on corporate compliance, internal investigations, advocacy before government agencies and litigation.

Prior to joining Hughes, Wood served as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri from 2007 to 2009. Wood has also served as a counselor to the U.S. attorney general and as a deputy associate attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice. Wood has spent time as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and as deputy general counsel in the White House Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush.

Earlier in his career, Wood served as a clerk to former Fourth Circuit Judge J. Michael Luttig who is now executive vice president and general counsel for Boeing, and as a clerk on the U.S. Supreme Court, working under Justice Clarence Thomas.

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