Richard "Dick" Wood became a managing partner at McGuire, Wood & Bissette in 1975 and has served as counsel since 1999. His extensive and varied experience includes serving as general counsel for an AMEX-listed manufacturer, and he also has extensive experience in National Labor Relations Board employer representation, corporate mergers/acquisitions, charitable planning and implementation, and estate planning for closely held businesses.

Dick has a rich history in community service, having most notably served as mayor of the city of Asheville from 1971 through 1975 and as president of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce from 1978 until 1979. He has also served on the Board of Directors for Givens Estates United Methodist Retirement Community, First Union National Bank of Asheville, and Wachovia Bank, N.A.

He has received several awards, including the Regional Citizenship Award (2000) by the Land-of-Sky Regional Council and Trustee of the Year (1999) for the North Carolina Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging. During his tenure as Mayor, he was honored with the Distinguished Service Award (1975) by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Chamber also honored him for his efforts as chairman of the Civic Center Committee, which was formed to support passage of a bond issue for completion of the Asheville Civic Center.