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Richard W. Smith is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP, based in the Firm's Washington, D.C. office.
As a member of the Trial Department, Richard is an experienced trial litigator with multiple bench and jury trials to his credit. His litigation practice focuses on intellectual property, products liability, federal election and campaign finance law, securities and general commercial litigation. Among other high-profile litigation matters, Richard participated in the Florida recount litigation in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election, the constitutional challenge to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, and the criminal trial of a Florida man accused of committing first-degree felony murder.
Richard has represented all of the national republican political party committees in defamation or First Amendment litigation, a professional sports league in intellectual property and personal injury litigation, a number of major pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations in products liability litigation, and various clients in securities litigation.
In addition, Richard has experience counseling clients seeking to analyze their legal risks without litigation. Among other significant achievements, he has navigated major corporations through various insurance crises; advised political candidates, trade associations, corporations, and other law firms on federal and state campaign finance statutes and regulations; and has analyzed product liability risks for a variety of clients.
Richard has been a leader in pro bono and community service projects. On behalf of several national police organizations, he filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in support of Jessica Gonzales in Castle Rock v. Gonzales, the first domestic violence case ever heard by the Court. He chairs the Appellate and Capital Case Subcommittee of the Firm's Pro Bono & Community Service Committee. Richard also serves on the Law Council of Washington & Lee University, the governing board of the Law Alumni Association.
Richard clerked for Judge Joseph R. Goodwin, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, from 1998 to 1999.
While in law school, he was a member of the Order of the Coif and was the development editor of the Washington and Lee Law Review. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, as well as the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the Supreme Court of Georgia.
Education
Washington and Lee University School of Law, J.D. (summa cum laude), 1998
Vanderbilt University, B.A., 1993 | 