Mark W. Smith - Professional History

Professional History

Smith is the founder of the Madison Avenue-based law firm of Smith Valliere & Martinez PLLC, which he founded in 2007. The national media calls Smith “one of the fastest rising legal stars in the country.” Smith’s courtroom and legal efforts have appeared on the covers of The New York Times, The Washington Times, Law.com, and The New York Law Journal as well as many other major media outlets.

Smith is also the New York Times bestselling author of several books, a former professor of law, and frequently appears as an expert legal commentator throughout the national media.

After graduating from the New York University School of Law, Smith clerked for a federal trial court judge in Kansas City. Upon the completion of his clerkship, Smith joined Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in New York City.

Smith’s legal practice covers a broad spectrum of areas including complex commercial disputes in the following areas: business, finance, employment, computer software, securities, civil rights, bankruptcy, constitutional, real estate, intellectual property, medical malpractice, class actions and antitrust matters.

Smith has tried jury and bench trials in state and federal court and represented clients in arbitrations, mediations, administrative law proceedings, and before governmental regulatory bodies. In 2008, Smith served as lead trial counsel in a precedent-setting $23 million jury trial in New York City on behalf of large private MRI medical practice against over 50 insurance companies. Many outlets covered the trial and its verdict and Smith appeared on the cover of The New York Law Journal and Law.com. As co-counsel in a federal jury trial, Smith won for his clients a million-dollar judgment in a precedent-setting case that a cover story in The New York Times proclaimed to be the largest of its kind in New York history. Smith represented a writer in a high-profile matter involving Tina Brown and the now-defunct Talk Miramax. Smith has represented clients before the United States Supreme Court having represented Texas state legislators there in the Washington Legal Foundation v. Phillips matter in 1988. The New York Times wrote a story about Smith’s representation of two African-American women seeking to start a hair styling company in a highly publicized constitutional challenge to New York state economic regulations.

Smith has appeared in various gossip columns such as The New York Post’s Page Six, the Huffington Post, Rush & Malloy, and Cindy Adams. Smith has appeared in New York “society” publications such as Gotham, Hamptons, Avenue and New York Social Diary.

The press has discussed Smith and his representation of various writers. The New York Observer wrote a story about Smith’s representation of a writer in a high-profile matter involving Tina Brown and Talk Miramax.

According to his firm’s website, Smith has litigated matters involving major international companies such as Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Charles Schwab, Deloitte & Touche, Wachovia, A.I.G., Adelphia Communications Corp, Talk Miramax, FoxMeyer Drug Company, Adelphia founder John Rigas, Continental Grain Company, Unilever, Salomon Smith Barney, and the U.S. Trust Company. Smith advises businesses, companies and individuals in a wide variety of commercial transactions and business dealings including companies doing business in China, Hong Kong, and the European Union. Smith has advised clients in connection with matters involving employment, severance, licensing, agency, assignment, intellectual property, film financing, publishing, settlement, and secured lending agreements and arrangements.