Ms Leslie Smith > Kirkland & Ellis LLP > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile

Kirkland & Ellis LLP
333 West Wolf Point Plaza
Chicago, IL 60654
United States
Leslie Smith photo

Position

Leslie Smith is a litigation partner and was a long-time member of the Firm’s Global Management Committee. She concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial, class action and product liability litigation. In 2017 she was selected to the Crain’s Chicago Business “Most Influential Women Lawyers in Chicago” list.

Memberships

Keystone board member, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab; board member, executive committee and secretary, Metropolitan Family Services; board member, Legal Aid Society.

Education

Georgetown University, BA, 1984. Georgetown University Law Center, JD, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, 1987.

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort

The best of the best for mass tort litigation’, Kirkland & Ellis LLP regularly has a fulcrum role in class actions and MDLs in major environmental and toxic tort disputes throughout the country. Recognized as the ‘epitome of creative lawyering’, the team, which is more generalist than many in the ranking, has an excellent perspective throughout the litigation continuum, using its feared trial lawyers as effective leveraging tools to achieve beneficial settlements for clients, as well as being dogged and effective advocates in federal and state courts throughout the country. Washington DC-based litigator Mike Brock is a distinguished advocate whose versatile practice has included some high-profile environmental and toxic tort mandates; he continues to act as lead trial lawyer for BP in ongoing cases emanating from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Other recommended lawyers include Chicago-based litigators Renee SmithLeslie Smith, and Donna Welch, all of whom have experience advising manufacturers and life sciences clients in toxic tort matters.