Lea Ann Smith
Office Information
Lea Ann is a member of our Products, Catastrophic and Industrial Litigation group. She focuses her practice on Environmental Litigation and Asbestos, Silica, and Toxic Tort Litigation.
Biography – View PDF Bio
- Associations
- Bar Admissions
- Distinctions
- Education & Honors
- Experience
- In the News
- Papers, Presentations, & Publications
- Recent Blogs
Bar Admissions
- Kentucky, 2002
- Mississippi, 2003
- Louisiana, 2013
- U.S. Court of Appeals
- 5th Circuit
- 6th Circuit
Distinctions
- Super Lawyers®
- Mid-South Rising Star, Personal Injury Defense, General, 2010-Present
- The Best Lawyers in America®
- Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions, 2017-2021
Education & Honors
- Mississippi College, J.D., 2002
- Eastern Kentucky University, B.S., Police Administration, 1999
- Regents Scholar
Experience
- Currently defending community-wide, groundwater contamination cases related to two different sites. Each site generated dozens of plaintiffs and multiple lawsuits, including litigation brought by the Attorney General suing on behalf of the State.
- Counsel for major paper manufacturer in premises liability and negligence cases.
- Secured summary judgement dismissal of contractor’s premises liability claim against paper manufacturer.
- Defending medical device manufacturer in Louisiana litigation related to surgical suture device.
- Lead trial counsel for construction company in Louisiana asbestos litigation.
- National representation and member of the trial team for target benzene defendant participating in trials in various jurisdictions.
- Served on national coordinating counsel teams in toxic tort litigation, focusing on development of corporate and expert witnesses, facilitating large scale document productions and supervising local counsel.
- Represented clients in toxic tort litigation, including silica, asbestos and chemical exposure cases in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky.
- Obtained dismissal of breach of contract claim for multi-national company and served as counsel in successful appeal in federal court. More...
- Co-counsel for defendant in multi-party mineral rights action which was favorably resolved.
- Co-counsel for successful contest of OSHA citations stemming from fatal pipeline explosion.
- Represented manufacturers of industrial machinery and medical devices in products liability and personal injury claims.
In the News
- 198 Butler Snow Attorneys Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2021
- Lea Ann Smith to Present at DRI Litigation Skills Workshop
- 173 Butler Snow Attorneys Named in Best Lawyers® 2020, 19 Named “Lawyer of the Year”
- Butler Snow Ranked No. 2 in Lex Machina’s ‘Top Law Firm Report’
- Lea Ann Smith Joins Butler Snow in New Orleans
Papers, Presentations, & Publications
- Presenter, “From Blank Canvas to Masterpiece: The Art of the 30(b)(6) Deposition,” Litigation Skills Workshop, DRI Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Seminar, Phoenix, Ariz., February 19, 2020.
- Steering Committee and Panel Coordinator, “Convincing the Millennial Juror,” DRI Toxic Tort and Environmental Law Conference, 2018.
- Speaker, “Most Active Jurisdictions,” Harris Martin National Litigation Conference, 2013.