Partner Christine N. Wood leads Best Best & Krieger LLP’s ARC: Advanced Records Center, which provides comprehensive and cost-effective support for records-related matters, including California Public Records Act request processing. An attorney and Certified E-Discovery Specialist, Christine is also an experienced and sought-after trainer and presenter, with an easy and conversational style that clients appreciate.

Christine skillfully advises, educates and assists public agencies in developing procedures and best practices to support the preservation, collection and production of electronically stored information. Additionally, Christine is experienced in both conducting and supervising forensic investigations. She is also known for being able to distill complex and voluminous data with efficiency and ease — most notably in response to requests for public records. Christine collaborates with clients to analyze the significance of records, using her experience in the newspaper industry to anticipate the newsworthiness of documents.

In addition to her trailblazing practice in public records matters, Christine is at the forefront of understanding the evolving laws regarding officers’ use-of-force and privacy concerns related to technology deployment. In January 2019, the California Legislature changed the laws that govern the release of police personnel records related to specific critical incidents. This effort to increase transparency in law enforcement has created significant burdens for law enforcement agencies, especially when tasked with releasing body cam footage, and Christine has led the effort to synthesize these shifts in the law so public safety clients can effectively comply.

In addition to her experience in the public records arena, Christine is also leading the initiative to help the City of Malibu form its own school district from territory within the existing Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. This is the first time a city within Los Angeles County has petitioned the county office of education to form a school district for its residents, and Christine has combined her knowledge of school finance, educational services and municipal law to guide the City of Malibu through this process.

Before joining BB&K, Christine worked as an assistant general counsel at the Los Angeles Unified School District. Christine has provided legal opinions, advice and training on PRA, the Brown and Greene acts, as well as school finance, including federal grant requirements and developer fees. Although Christine worked for the largest school district in California, she also understands how to scale policies and procedures to assist smaller agencies and districts.

In addition to providing advice and guidance, Christine  also represented clients in recoupment litigation special education due process hearings, certificated and classified dismissals, as well as Pitchess motions on behalf of the Los Angeles School Police Department. Christine serves as a coach in the Trial Advocacy Honors Program at Southwestern Law School, where she helps trial teams with litigation strategies and advocacy.

Although she has lived on the East Coast and in the Pacific Northwest, Christine was born and raised in Los Angeles, where she lives with her daughter. She is licensed to practice law in the State of California.
 
Education

• Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles, J.D.
• California State University, Northridge, M.P.A., with distinction
• California State University, Dominguez Hills, B.S., with concentration on marketing and advertising

Admissions

• California

Honors

• Black Leader Worth Watching, Profiles in Diversity Journal, 2021
• Minority Leaders of Influence: Attorneys, L.A. Business Journal, 2021
• California Trailblazer, The Recorder, 2020

Memberships

• California Lawyers Association Public Law Section Executive Committee, chair, 2020-2021
• Black Women Lawyers of Los Angeles