Wood & Bender, a 14-attorney law firm based in Ventura, has merged with New York-based Anderson Kill & Olick, which has 79 attorneys.

Founded in 1995, Wood & Bender ranked as the eighth largest law firm based in the Tri-Counties before its merger, which took effect Jan. 1.

Both Wood & Bender and Anderson Kill specialize in representing business policyholders against their insurers. Wood & Bender has worked for Fortune 500 companies and recovered millions of dollars for clients.

The merger gives Northeast-based Anderson Kill a California presence. The new California firm will be called Anderson Kill Wood & Bender and will retain all 14 of Wood & Bender’s attorneys.

For full coverage of the merger, see the Jan. 9 edition of the Pacific Coast Business Times.