New York, NY, July 12, 2004 – LAWFUEL – Building on the growth of its antitrust practice, Dewey Ballantine LLP, a leading international law firm, announced today that Alison L. Smith has joined the firm as a litigation partner and co-chair of the Antitrust and Trade Regulation practice group. Ms. Smith was previously a partner with Vinson & Elkins LLP, where she co-chaired the firm’s Antitrust practice group. She resides in Dewey Ballantine’s Houston office.
Ms. Smith has extensive experience in antitrust, securities and other complex business litigation, including class action litigation, and in white collar criminal defense. She defends both corporate and individual clients. Ms. Smith has represented clients in the energy, natural gas pipeline, chemical, telecommunications, transportation, healthcare and manufacturing industries.
From 1989 to 1991, Ms. Smith served in the United States Department of Justice as Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division. In this role, she was responsible for enforcement of the federal antitrust laws in the nation’s regulated industries, including investigations and challenges of anticompetitive mergers and criminal antitrust violations. Included among her responsibilities was enforcement of the Modified Final Judgment (MFJ) that broke up the Bell System. She successfully argued the government’s appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, resulting in the reversal of the district court’s decision that denied the Regional Bell Operating Companies the right to enter the information services line of business under the MFJ.
“A top-tier litigator and regulatory expert, Alison is a tremendous asset to our practice group,” said Joe Angland, partner and co-chair of Dewey Ballantine’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation practice group. “Her experience in the complexities of antitrust law across a wide range of industries will be key to our ongoing expansion in this area and help us provide the best possible counsel to our clients. In this era of stiff prosecution of alleged international cartels, her addition will be of particular value.”
Ms. Smith serves as co-chair of the Private Antitrust Litigation Committee of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association and has been appointed as vice-chair of the Sherman Act Section One Committee. She previously served as chair of the Antitrust and Trade Regulation Section of the Houston Bar Association, from 1999-2000, and the Transportation Industry Committee of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association, from 1992 to 1995. She is a member of the American Law Institute.
Ms. Smith is included in Chambers USA’s “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in 2004,” recommended in antitrust. She has also been named as a “Texas Super Lawyer” for 2003 and 2004.
Ms. Smith received a B.J. summa cum laude from The University of Texas in 1974 and a J.D. cum laude from The University of Texas School of Law in 1977. She was an adjunct professor in antitrust law at The University of Texas School of Law in 1992 and 1993.
Attorneys in Dewey Ballantine’s antitrust and trade regulation practice group represent clients in antitrust and trade regulation litigation, provide legal support in complex corporate transactions and provide expert counsel on a range of business strategies, including: supply and distribution arrangements; research and development initiatives; intellectual property right issues; and joint ventures. The firm’s United States and European attorneys also address client concerns with European Commission and other foreign antitrust authorities.
About Dewey Ballantine
Dewey Ballantine LLP, founded in 1909, is an international law firm with more than 550 attorneys located in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, East Palo Alto, Houston, Austin, London, Warsaw, Budapest, Prague, Frankfurt, Milan and Rome. Through its network of offices, the firm handles some of the largest, most complex corporate transactions, litigation and tax matters in such areas as M&A, private equity, project finance, corporate finance, corporate reorganization and bankruptcy, antitrust, intellectual property, sports law, structured finance and international trade. Industry specializations include energy and utilities, healthcare, insurance, financial services, media, consumer and industrial goods, consumer electronics, technology, telecommunications and transportation.
