Lawyers
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today that Andrea E. Smith, a nationally recognized trial lawyer, has joined the firm in Houston as a partner in the Litigation Department.
“Andrea Smith is an exceptional trial lawyer with experience handling and winning the toughest cases,” said Jay Cohen, co-head of the Litigation Department at Paul, Weiss. “Andrea’s arrival in Houston, home to a vast number of important companies, significantly expands our ability to serve existing and new clients across the region.”
“Houston is one of the most dynamic business centers in the country, and its economy is growing at a pace that few cities can match,” said Sean T. Wheeler, co-chair of Global M&A and head of the Houston office. “Our clients here are at the center of that activity, and having Andrea on the ground with us means we can serve them across the full range of their legal needs, including in their highest-stakes litigation.”
Smith has tried some of the most complex, high-value disputes, from billion-dollar RICO and fraud cases to sprawling environmental and mass tort litigation spanning international and domestic forums. Her representations include some of the most consequential commercial disputes of the past two decades, and have touched on many industries, such as oil and gas, food and agriculture, aerospace, technology, accounting, real estate and financial services, among others.
“This is a firm that is called in when the stakes are highest, and that is exactly where I want to be,” Smith said. “I am looking forward to being part of what the firm is building in Houston and to bringing the full strength of the Paul, Weiss litigation platform to our clients in this market.”
Throughout her career, Smith has received numerous accolades for her accomplishments. She was named by Benchmark Litigation as the 2023 and 2024 “U.S. Environmental Litigator of the Year,” a “Litigation Star” in New York, and as one of the nation’s “Top 100 Trial Lawyers.” She has been recognized as one of Latin America's “Top 100 Lawyers” and “Top 50 Female Lawyers” by Latinvex, and has been named an “Energy & Environmental Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal.
Smith earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia and dual degrees, with high distinction, from the University’s McIntire School of Commerce. She is admitted to practice in California, New York and Texas.
The Paul, Weiss Litigation Department regularly handles significant, high-stakes and complex litigations and enforcement actions for clients that include Fortune 50 corporations and other prominent companies in the financial services, investment, medical device, pharmaceutical, sports, technology, energy, media and insurance industries. The firm’s litigators have a long history of strength and success as trial lawyers, credibility with government officials and regulators, and a track record of courtroom wins and creative out-of-court resolutions.
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