LEGAL CAREER Wood was admitted to the Oregon Bar in 1884. He set up an office in Portland at the corner of First and Stark, on the second floor of the Opposition Boot and Shoe Store. He specialized in maritime law and became its leading authority on the Pacific Coast. He was also counsel for Lazard Freres, the French banking firm, and for Jim Hill, leader of the Great Northern Railroad, as well as for the Ladds, the Corbetts, and other established Portland families.