About John Busey
John Busey Wood built a career at the intersection of law, accounting and real estate. He completed legal studies at Washburn University, earning his J.D. in 1977 after earlier studies at the University of Kansas in 1975 and Washburn University in 1973. Those academic years set a foundation for work that would cross professional lines and state borders.
Wood moved into firm leadership early. In 1994 he became managing partner at Sussman Sollis Tweedy & Wood LLP. He later served as a partner at Thompson & Knight LLP beginning in 2007. In 2011 he joined Akerman Senterfitt LLP as a shareholder. Records show him associated with Akerman LLP in an office role, reflecting a long tenure in private practice across several firms.
His professional credentials extend beyond the bar. He is certified as a Commercial National Neutral by the American Arbitration Association. He holds a Certified Public Accountant credential from the Kansas Board of Accountancy and is licensed as a Commercial Real Estate Broker by the New York Secretary of State. He is admitted to practice in New York and Kansas.
Wood’s organizational ties are longstanding. He has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants since 1974. He took on leadership roles in legal education and dispute resolution in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. He has chaired the National Commercial Leasing Panel for the Practising Law Institute since 1995. He has also served as a national neutral and as co-chair of the National Disputes Resolution Committee for the American Arbitration Association since 2004.
He has balanced practice with teaching. Since 2005 he has served as an adjunct professor at the NYU Schack Real Estate Institute, bringing practical experience into classroom settings. His experience spans deal work, leasing matters, and commercial disputes. He combines legal training and accounting credentials when handling commercial real estate transactions and contested matters.
Colleagues describe him as someone who moves easily between deal advising and adjudicative roles. He has held firm leadership positions and taken public-facing roles in national panels. Today he practices at Akerman LLP and continues to handle commercial real estate, leasing, and arbitration matters in New York and Kansas.
