Alfred Smith

About Alfred Smith

Alfred Smith, Chair of Nossaman\'s Water Group, is a recognized expert in water, environmental, transportation and public agency law. A graduate of the Harvard Law School, he has successfully litigated multiple water right adjudications, and he has secured more than $750 million worth of contamination settlements in favor of his clients.An experienced General Counsel to multiple government agencies, Alfred is an expert on all aspects of public agency governance and operations, including the Brown Act, Public Records Act, ethics and political law compliance, CEQA, environmental regulatory compliance, public contracting, construction claims and litigation.Alfred has successfully litigated at all levels. His accomplishments include helping negotiate one of California\'s largest water contamination mitigation settlements in favor of his clients and winning a unanimous decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.Alfred serves on the Board of Directors of the Water Education Foundation. He is an appointed member of both the Association of California Water Agencies\'(ACWA) Legal Affairs Committee and the California Special Districts Association Legal Advisory Board. He was listed as one of Los Angeles\'s Top 100 Lawyers by the Los Angeles Business Journal and has been named a \"Super Lawyer\" every year since 2008. In 2016, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Alfred one of the Most Influential Minority Lawyers in the Los Angeles region. The National Black Lawyers Association named Alfred one of the Top 100 Black Lawyers in the United States. In 2022, U.S. News and World Report named Alfred one of the The Best Lawyers in America©.Specialties: Environmental, Water, Transportation and Public Agency Law

Experience

1. Partner

   Nossaman LLP

   Sep 1996 — Present

Education

• Harvard Law School

  J.D.

  1993 — 1996

Skills

• Land Use
• Climate Change
• Environmental Law
• Remediation
• Trials
• Bankruptcy
• Dispute Resolution
• Water Supply
• Trade Secrets
• Employment Law
• Courts
• Arbitration
• Trial Practice
• Legal Writing
• Litigation
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Natural Resources
• Construction Law
• Land Use Law
• Legal Research
• Environmental Awareness
• Environmental Compliance
• Business Litigation
• Groundwater
• Civil Litigation
• Product Liability
• Breach of Contract
• Class Actions
• Mediation
• Toxic Tort
• Water Resource Management
• Appeals
• Administrative Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Water
• Water Law