Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce that Jeffrey A. Smith has joined the firm’s New York office, where he will be a partner in the firm’s Environment & Natural Resources and Corporate groups. Smith joins from Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, where he was a partner and head of the firm’s environmental law group, as well as the former Managing Partner of Administration.
Smith is a nationally recognized attorney who advises multi-national corporations and mid-market companies and their boards on a wide range of environmental, transactional management and disclosure matters in mergers and acquisitions, financings, joint ventures, and other transactions. He also regularly provides environmental counsel on corporate governance, disclosure requirements under Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations, voluntary environmental reporting, shareholder communications, and environmental litigation.
“Jeff is widely respected for his ability to assess complex environmental concerns and new regulations and apply them to real market scenarios,” said Joseph A. Adams, co-managing partner of Crowell & Moring’s New York office and a member of the firm’s Corporate Group. “His work advising international corporations on environmental matters and his notable experience in the New York deal market are tremendous assets to our clients.”
At Crowell & Moring, Smith will counsel clients on emerging environmental and energy issues arising in corporate and transactional matters, as well as bet-the-company disputes. Smith will also advise lenders, real estate developers and investors, and international companies on environmental issues related to financings, private equity transactions, and other business opportunities.
“Crowell & Moring prides itself on leveraging its exceptionally deep experience in innovative ways for clients. I’m looking forward to becoming part of the team, because the combination of practical, hard-driving problem solvers and their breadth of knowledge and business sophistication make the firm unique,” said Smith. “The firm has been entrepreneurial since day one, and I am looking forward to helping both its corporate and environmental practices grow.”
Crowell & Moring offers one of the nation’s preeminent Environment & Natural Resources practices. Last year, the group of nearly 50 attorneys welcomed former Wyoming Governor David Freudenthal as part of its ongoing effort to expand its capabilities in areas such as air quality regulation, Endangered Species Act, mining, and energy. The firm’s Corporate Group has also grown recently with two new partners in New York announced last week. The practice is ranked as a leader by clients and peers in Chambers USA and among the top 16 law firms in the United States for corporate transactions in BTI Consulting Group’s “Masters of the Deal” report.
Smith is a frequent speaker on environmental issues and has testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment regarding potential SEC requirements for disclosure relating to climate change. Additionally, he served as the first chairman of the American Bar Association’s Special Committee on Environmental Disclosure. Smith currently serves on the Board of several non-profit organizations, including The Urban Assembly, the Adams Street Foundation, and Environmental Advocates of New York. He is also on the board of advisors for ECO:nomics, an annual conference hosted by The Wall Street Journal for executives at the intersection of business and the environment. Smith received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and an A.B., cum laude, from Harvard University.
