Reed Smith LLP has announced the addition of Richard D. Smith to its New York office, where he will be a Partner in the firm’s Corporate & Securities Group.
Smith was previously with Allen & Overy LLP in New York, where he was Senior Counsel in the Corporate Group. Prior to joining Allen & Overy, Smith was Head of Americas M&A and Investment Banking Legal at Barclays, Associate General Counsel at Goldman Sachs, and an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell.
“Richard has extensive transactional experience, and his practice cuts a wide swath across the financial services industry,” said Paul J. Jaskot, Chair of Reed Smith's U.S. Corporate & Securities Group. “He brings us the seasoned experience and pragmatism of a financial services industry ‘insider’ to supplement the existing experience and depth of Reed Smith’s Financial Industry Group. The firm will also benefit from Richard’s work and relationships with clients in industries beyond financial services.”
“Reed Smith has a strong reputation for excellence - including in the financial services sector,” said Smith. “My experience is a great match for the needs of its global client base, and the firm’s extensive resources are a perfect fit for the needs of my clients. Reed Smith’s global platform and expertise in international finance and M&A transactions will be significant assets for my practice.”
Smith’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, and arbitration. He has represented clients in M&A and strategic transactions involving banking, mortgage, broker-dealer, mining, insurance, trade processing, investment advisory, asset management, real estate, energy, market maker, servicing and commodities businesses. His M&A experience also includes counseling financial institutions with regard to fairness opinions and advisory engagements. Smith’s capital markets work encompasses a broad range of global and domestic securities offerings and financings, liability management, and covered bonds. He has also advised several clients on M&A related disputes and arbitrations.
“We are very pleased Richard has joined our ranks in New York, which is one of the firm’s fastest-growing offices,” said Ed Estrada, Reed Smith’s New York Office Managing Partner. “His extensive knowledge of and many years of experience in the U.S. and global financial markets will add to the Corporate practice in the New York office. We are delighted to welcome him to Reed Smith.”
Smith holds a J.D. from Duke University School of Law, where he graduated with Honors, and a B.A. from Haverford College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to law school, he was an Assistant Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He is a member of the Board of Advisors for the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Law and Economics, as well as a member of the Practicing Law Institute faculty. Smith has been a member of the SIFMA Capital Markets and M&A Committees and the Committee on Securities Regulation of the New York City Bar Association. He is admitted to the New York State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar.
