In 2007, Woods & Woods, LLC, began transitioning from a general, personal injury law practice into one specializing in cases involving former military members with disabilities. It’s been a good decision for the firm, as well as for clients: Since 2016, Woods & Woods’ efforts have recovered more than $1 billion in missing back pay for veterans and surviving spouses. Along the way, its workforce has surged to keep up with demand, leading the firm to larger locations and an investment in buildings forgotten by history.
Woods & Woods goes to bat for veterans across generations, from those suffering from exposure to chemical herbicide Agent Orange used by the American military during the Vietnam War to, more recently, ones who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and are impacted by pollutants from burn pits, or open-air areas used for waste disposal. Clients live in all 50 states as well as other countries.
Owner Neil Woods, whose grandfathers both served in the military, says the work is personal to him and to his staff. “How could it get any better than that as a practice area?” asks Woods, whose father, Mike, founded the law firm. “It’s really nice to go to work every day and be able to serve people who made this country what it is. It just can’t be beat.”
Because of the need for veterans advocacy, Woods & Woods’ workforce has soared to 130. There are 12 attorneys (two of whom work in other states), as well as case managers and intake staff. Cases are waged with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through appellate processes. Courtroom work is not involved.
Woods says that in many instances, veterans opposing the VA are made to prove ties between their medical issue and their military service. Doing so can get messy — Woods tells the story of a veteran from Nebraska who lost a leg when the vehicle he was riding in hit an improvised explosive device in Fallujah, Iraq. Woods says the VA inexplicably fought the man’s case.
“He spent months in surgeries and rehab at Walter Reed” — the national military medical center in Bethesda, Maryland — and “there was no question as to whether this happened to him or not,” Woods says of the veteran, who ultimately prevailed. “And the military did a really good job of documenting IEDs because they were looking for military-grade metals to prove that Iran was meddling in the Iraq war. We had statements from his fellow service members he served with, and about 20,000 pages of medical records showing it, and he was denied. That one always sticks out to me because that should have been something that a trainee at the VA should have known to approve, and they didn’t.”
“People are really surprised to see how complex VA disability law is,” Woods adds. “We can never understand why they make some of the decisions they do that hurt our clients.”
Woods & Woods Operations Manager Jill Rager, who’s been with the firm for 31 years, recalls the case of a military widow who had tried for years to obtain benefits after her husband passed away. “She was sure that his death was related to his military service but had not been successful in obtaining those benefits despite her numerous claims and appeals,” Rager says. “We were able to help her get medical evidence and provide the arguments on her behalf to prove her case and get her awarded benefits. She was so appreciative of our help and the fact that she was finally able to receive benefits and live a better life.”
In the same way Woods & Woods fights to make sure veterans’ sacrifices are honored, it also has stepped in to ensure that two historic Evansville buildings don’t fade into the past.
The firm’s previous office was in the Old Vanderburgh County Jail and Sheriff’s Residence, which dates to 1890 and sits across Northwest Fourth Street from the Old Courthouse. Reopened in 1997 after a lengthy closure, the stone, castle-like structure housed Woods & Woods for 22 years. The firm completed renovation work that was started by real estate developer Scott Anderson and served as a feature in Evansville Living’s inaugural issue in 2000. Woods & Woods played up the jail’s history, keeping a cell on display in the lobby.
But widespread demand for Woods & Woods’ services as a veterans-only law firm left it no other choice but to find a larger space. “We could not grow anymore where we were,” says Human Resources Director Sarah Hatch. “It was a great, beautiful building, but we were just bursting at the seams.”
Woods says he looked “high and low” for a new location. Drawing on an interest in historic preservation that blossomed at the Old Jail, Woods latched onto the former site of Cavalry Baptist Church and, more recently, Center of Hope Church at 808 S.E. Third St. Designed in 1960 by well-known architect Jack Kinkel, the 65,000-square-foot, three-story building looked nothing like a law office — that is, before Woods cast his eye on it and started dreaming. “The pastor showed me the church and I knew immediately it would be perfect,” Woods recalls. “We signed the purchase agreement the next day.”
Demolition, design, and $9.5 million in renovations took about three years, culminating with the May 2025 move- in. What once was a sanctuary is now a case management department, with pews gone and cubicles in place. The former fellowship hall is now an employee lounge, and the first floor features an executive boardroom and seven conference rooms.
Pipes from the church’s original organ hang in the lobby as part of a 1960s-style Sputnik light fixture created by Shane Strickland of Brass Bones Fabrication. The church’s balcony was leveled and reinforced for use as intake and case development departments, while the basement was made into the marketing department, video studio, and employee fitness room. Second and third floors were remodeled as private offices. An elevator and exterior ramps were added.
Chris Combs of CAC Custom Homes served as project manager, while Charlie Michael of KM Construction was the lead contractor. Michael Carron was the lead designer, and Corporate Design Inc. handled furniture design. Dave Dobson of Combs Landscape led a revamp of the 143-space parking lot by installing 92 trees, more than 300 plants and bushes, and an outdoor seating area for employees.
“There’s something special about buildings that had people who loved them. … The jail, we had a lot of people come in and say, ‘I’ve been in here before, but it wasn’t necessarily a good story,’” Woods laughs. “Here … I have employees who went to church here, someone I know was married here and they’re still married. So it’s a good memory. I just immediately walked through it and knew what it could be.”
The Haynie’s Corner Arts District, where Woods and his family lived years ago, also seemed a perfect fit. Since moving into its new home in May, Woods & Woods has hosted several community events, including an opening reception. “It’s the most dynamic and engaged neighborhood in the whole region,” Woods says. “There’s nothing like it until you get to cities that are an hour and a half, two hours away from us. To be down here, back in this neighborhood that I lived in for eight years, was really exciting.”
Walk into the new Woods & Woods headquarters, and the firm’s mission is immediately clear. Three words, “The Veterans Firm,” are prominent in the blue and white logo, and an American flag is posted right behind the reception desk. Artwork includes a colorful mural depicting the P-47 Thunderbolt now known as Hoosier Spirit II that is displayed at the Evansville Wartime Museum. Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana Executive Director Anne McKim served as an art consultant for the redesign; Woods & Woods also utilized the talents of Rachel Wambach of Sprout Design, as well as photographer Alex Morgan.
The firm’s sense of purpose hits home even for staff members such as Hatch, who don’t deal directly with clients. “We do a monthly staff meeting where Neil will read Google reviews and different things that clients have written into their case managers, and it’s tear jerking, the work that we do and the difference it makes in their lives,” she says.
Woods & Woods files more than 1,000 applications for VA support each month, for free. When veterans succeed in that process, “they don’t owe us anything,” Woods says. “If they are denied or they get a low rating, they have the option to hire us for their appeal. But there’s no obligation for them to hire us. … It takes 20 people to answer all those phone calls and handle all of those applications every month. That’s not cheap, but it’s the right thing to do. And it’s shown in our business model that doing the right thing usually leads to good results.”
Taking the firm’s core mission even further, Woods & Woods in 2024 donated $43,000 and was the Tour of Honor Sponsor of the Honor Flight of Southern Indiana’s 17th trip, which marked the nonprofit’s 10th anniversary. Woods recalls attending the welcome home parade for the first local Honor Flight in 2014 and saw how meaningful the tour of Washington, D.C., war memorials had been for veterans, whose trips are arranged completely free of charge by Honor Flight.
It’s full steam ahead for Woods & Woods, which this year was named to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce list of Best Places to Work. Woods and his staff say their work on behalf of veterans is complex but meaningful, and the need for such advocacy will remain high.
“I love that we are enriching the lives of so many veterans and are helping them be more financially secure and have a better quality of life,” Rager says. “They dedicated a part of their life to supporting and defending our country, and it’s so nice to be able to help pay it back to them.”
