Andrene Smith is a member of the Government Policy team. In that capacity, she works with Members of Congress and staff on the Senate Finance, Judiciary and Banking Committees, as well as the House Ways and Means, Financial Services and Appropriations Committees on issues that are important to the insurance and financial services industries. She recently assisted a coalition of insurers in securing the repeal of regulation that would have been harmful to the insurance industry. Ms. Smith also has worked on matters before the Treasury and State Departments, the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as various Embassies in the United States and overseas.
Ms. Smith has significant litigation experience and recently was part of a trial team that defended a fraud/breach of fiduciary claim brought against two barristers and obtained a large jury verdict in New York. She has a strong background in international law, particularly in regard to the enforcement of foreign orders/judgments in the United States and the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. With respect to government contracts, Ms. Smith has worked on bid protests, claim appeals and performance disputes, and has advised clients on their compliance with the Trade Agreements Act. She also has worked on civil rights litigation related primarily to redistricting and claims under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Additionally, Ms. Smith strongly supports pro bono initiatives. In 2010, she co-chaired a pro bono personal injury trial that resulted in a jury verdict for the plaintiff. She now serves as the firm’s liaison to the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program Advocacy and Justice Clinic, coordinating representation for indigent clients on family law, housing and Social Security disability cases in the D.C. office.
A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, Ms. Smith concentrated on International Trade Policy and Development. She participated in the Harrison Institute for Public Law Clinic on Democracy and Trade, a team that analyzes the impact of global agreements on state and local governments and developing countries. As a member of that team, Ms. Smith worked with the Forum on Democracy and Trade and the Rural Policy Research Institute. Ms. Smith previously interned with the National Conference of State Legislatures, as well as the Geneva-based Southcentre’s Trade for Development Programme, where she provided research and policy assistance to developing countries.
An avid fan of international travel and languages, Ms. Smith was born in Jamaica and moved to New York City in her teens. She has studied in London and Paris and is proficient in French. So far, she has traveled to France, England, Scotland, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Netherlands.
Ms. Smith’s article, “A Different World: Financial Determinants of Well-Being in New Orleans in Black and White,” was published in the Symposium Issue of the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, Our Eyes Are Watching: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Impoverished Communities.
Ms. Smith is a member of the American and New York State Bar Associations and currently serves as the Co-President of the Stanford Black Alumni Association, D.C. Chapter.