Scott Burnett Smith

Scott Burnett Smith’s practice covers class actions, complex litigation, and appeals. Scott has been involved in dozens of nationwide class actions in state and federal courts and has handled over 30 class action appeals. He is also regularly involved as the appellate lawyer embedded with a trial team in complex civil litigation. In that role, he has succeeded in having several multimillion-dollar injury verdicts, including punitive damages, remitted by the trial court or reversed and rendered by the appellate court.

The founder of the firm’s Appellate Litigation Group, Scott has been involved in 18 cases (two on the merits) before the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also been involved in over 160 appeals to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, D.C., and Federal Circuits, the Alabama Supreme Court, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, and the Arkansas Supreme Court. Scott has presented oral arguments 25 times before appellate courts, including the Alabama Supreme Court and six federal courts of appeals.

Active in DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar, Scott currently serves as chair of the Publications Board and is a former national director on DRI’s Board of Directors. He is also the former chair of DRI’s Amicus Committee and former chair of DRI’s Appellate Advocacy Committee. In addition, he has served as chair of the DRI’s national Class Action seminar and writes and speaks regularly on class actions and appellate practice.