Key Takeaways
- • John Flannery, former Chairman and CEO of GE and current Managing Director at Charlesbank Capital Partners, has joined the Board of Managers of WSHB Support Services, according to a Business Wire announcement.
- • WSHB Support Services was formed in October 2026 as a management services organization (MSO) supporting the Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP law firm, and simultaneously received a strategic investment from Charlesbank.
- • The board also includes Daniel Berman, Stewart Reid, Stephen Henning, and Kevin Smith from the law firm's Management Committee, plus Charlesbank investors David Katz, Mutian Rui, and Stephanie Lee.
- • Appointments do not alter the law firm's Management Committee, which remains independently governed by lawyers.
- • Flannery's appointment is tied to growing WSHB, a nationwide trial firm with more than 550 lawyers in 43 offices, which the firm says has grown from a founder-led practice into one of the largest litigation defense firms in the country.
Summary
WSHB Support Services, the management services organization supporting Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP, announced that John Flannery has joined its Board of Managers. Flannery is a former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GE and currently a Managing Director at Charlesbank Capital Partners. According to the announcement, WSHB Support Services was formed in October 2026 and simultaneously received a strategic investment from Charlesbank.
The law firm remains an independent entity, with its lawyers retaining sole authority over the practice of law and client matters. As an MSO, WSHB Support Services provides non-legal operational infrastructure and support to the firm. Flannery will serve alongside Daniel Berman, Stewart Reid, Stephen Henning, and Kevin Smith, who are also members of the law firm's Management Committee, as well as Charlesbank investors David Katz, Mutian Rui, and Stephanie Lee. The company stated that these board appointments do not change the law firm's Management Committee.
Flannery's GE career began in 1987, and he held leadership roles in the United States, Latin America, and Asia, including CEO of GE Equity, CEO of GE Capital Asia, CEO of GE India, head of GE's M&A and strategy process, and CEO of the $18 billion GE Healthcare unit. At Charlesbank, he works with portfolio company CEOs on operating performance, strategy, and governance. The announcement noted that he also serves on the board of Aprio, an accounting firm in the Charlesbank portfolio that operates an alternative practice structure similar to WSHB's MSO model. Flannery also sits on the boards of Penske and Tecomet.
Daniel Berman, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of WSHB LLP and CEO of WSHB Support Services, said Flannery's experience on a board of a professional services firm with a similar structure would make the company more forward-thinking. Flannery said WSHB, founded in 1997, has grown into one of the largest litigation defense firms in the country, with more than 2,000 cases taken to verdict. Charlesbank, founded in 1998, reports over $22 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2026, and focuses on business and consumer services, healthcare, industrials, and technology.
The law firm remains an independent entity, with its lawyers retaining sole authority over the practice of law and client matters. As an MSO, WSHB Support Services provides non-legal operational infrastructure and support to the firm. Flannery will serve alongside Daniel Berman, Stewart Reid, Stephen Henning, and Kevin Smith, who are also members of the law firm's Management Committee, as well as Charlesbank investors David Katz, Mutian Rui, and Stephanie Lee. The company stated that these board appointments do not change the law firm's Management Committee.
Flannery's GE career began in 1987, and he held leadership roles in the United States, Latin America, and Asia, including CEO of GE Equity, CEO of GE Capital Asia, CEO of GE India, head of GE's M&A and strategy process, and CEO of the $18 billion GE Healthcare unit. At Charlesbank, he works with portfolio company CEOs on operating performance, strategy, and governance. The announcement noted that he also serves on the board of Aprio, an accounting firm in the Charlesbank portfolio that operates an alternative practice structure similar to WSHB's MSO model. Flannery also sits on the boards of Penske and Tecomet.
Daniel Berman, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of WSHB LLP and CEO of WSHB Support Services, said Flannery's experience on a board of a professional services firm with a similar structure would make the company more forward-thinking. Flannery said WSHB, founded in 1997, has grown into one of the largest litigation defense firms in the country, with more than 2,000 cases taken to verdict. Charlesbank, founded in 1998, reports over $22 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2026, and focuses on business and consumer services, healthcare, industrials, and technology.
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