Risk is an unavoidable part of running a professional practice. We help our accountancy clients to navigate the myriad obligations and regulations that they face on a daily basis and partner with them to understand their unique risk profile and create bespoke risk management solutions. Should a claim or investigation arise, we can be relied upon to manage it swiftly and sensitively so that our clients can continue to focus on growing their business.

Clients want to win in the trial court and preserve that win on appeal. Whether you are facing a win or a loss, you need to assess your options quickly and prepare to challenge or defend the judgment on appeal. Reed Smith’s Appellate Group helps clients accomplish these goals throughout the litigation process. Whether in federal or state court, we can help you evaluate the issues, move for post-trial relief, and handle the appeal. Our 20-member nationwide team, comprised entirely of full-time appellate partners, counsel, and associates, will deliver the right combination of experience, perspective, and innovation to help you obtain the best outcome.

Our ranks include the former Solicitor General of the District of Columbia and alumni of the appellate sections of California’s and New York’s Office of the Attorney General. We are fellows, officers, and members of leading appellate associations like the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and the Texas State Bar Appellate Practice Section. Many of our attorneys are state-bar certified as appellate specialists. In addition, most members of our team have served as judicial law clerks for a United States Court of Appeals or state appellate court, participating in the procedures and decision-making processes of the court that will ultimately decide your case.

Aviation litigation presents distinct challenges to airlines, manufacturers and aerospace companies – your reputation for safety and reliability is on the line and you need counsel with specialized technical knowledge that can hit the ground running. Our team – which includes lawyers that are licensed commercial pilots as well as former counsel with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – not only has trial experience in complex aviation litigation, but are particularly knowledgeable in the field of aeronautics and familiar with the key technical, regulatory and legal issues involved. 

Class actions are the favored vehicle of the plaintiffs’ bar to aggressively attack business products, services and practices on a statewide or national scale. In today’s interconnected and global marketplace, the litigation risks that class actions, federal multidistrict litigations and state coordinated proceedings present can seriously impact a company’s brand and commercial objectives. Heightened government, media, shareholder, employee and consumer scrutiny can create an atmosphere that causes the direct and indirect costs of such litigation to potentially be magnified.

Reed Smith has one of the strongest and most experienced teams of class action defense lawyers in the United States. Our deep and diverse team of trial and appellate lawyers has built a successful track record that places us among the preeminent class action defense practices.

We regularly represent leading companies of all sizes in the defense of such litigation, and in connection with the development and execution of litigation and strategic resolution options in some of their largest, most complex class action cases.

Reed Smith has a proven track record of both obtaining and defeating petitions for equitable relief - TROs (temporary restraining orders), preliminary injunctions and expedited discovery orders – and their equivalents, as well as successfully prosecuting and defending claims seeking to protect clients’ interests during vulnerable times and on an expedited basis.

Our global team advises clients throughout the life cycle of the emergency relief process – from initial investigation to resolution. We are adept in all types of litigation matters that require immediate action and are able to aggressively seek and defend against demands for emergency relief based on appropriate litigation strategies and available remedies in the jurisdiction at hand.

With a proven track record of assisting clients in navigating the complexities of judgment realization and enforcement, the Global Enforcement & Collections team features industry-leading capabilities in all aspects of enforcing court judgments and arbitral awards.

With a team of more than 1,000 disputes lawyers in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, we can manage the enforcement process across multiple jurisdictions. We also have a network of local partners in jurisdictions across the world where we do not have offices.

Fundamentally, our insurance coverage lawyers are international, collaborative, and experienced, offering a practical approach to addressing your insurance recovery needs. As a top-ranked, policyholder-focused practice, we have assisted some of the world’s largest companies in resolving their complex insurance disputes.

Our cases range from catastrophic property losses and “bet-the-company” products claims, to securities litigation and cyber losses. Whether negotiating coverage for emerging liabilities or facing off at trial or arbitration from London to Los Angeles, or anywhere around the globe, we drive maximum value from your insurance assets. You can rely on Reed Smith’s market-leading insurance coverage lawyers to efficiently analyze your company’s issues and recommend a concrete plan of action.

Reed Smith’s international arbitration practice spans the globe. With offices in the world’s leading arbitral seats, including London, Paris, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Miami, and Houston, we are strongly positioned to represent clients in international business disputes.

For the sixth consecutive year, leading international arbitration publication Global Arbitration Review has included Reed Smith in its elite list of the world’s top 30 international arbitration law firms, the GAR 30.

Our clients, whether privately or publicly owned, benefit from the invaluable insights, in-depth knowledge, award-winning talent and cross-border collaboration of our global team of international arbitration lawyers, many embedded in our core industry practice areas.

We act as trusted advisers, advocates and arbitrators across a broad spectrum of complex and often multi-million/billion-dollar commercial, investor-state, and sector-specific arbitrations. Our dynamic and forward-looking practice has a strong track record of achieving results based on our clients’ needs, their commercial objectives and the characteristics of the dispute.

• “The ‘committed and specialised’ Reed Smith LLP international arbitration practice ‘epitomises excellence’.” The Legal 500 Latin America 2023
• “Reed Smith's distinguished dispute resolution team has deep experience in commercial arbitrations.” Chambers USA 2023
• “Reed Smith is particularly noted for its expertise in construction, energy and transportation arbitration cases… It is a wonderful team." Chambers Europe – France 2023
• “Reed Smith has an excellent team of lawyers who have a wealth of experience of international arbitration.” The Legal 500 EMEA – UAE 2023
• “One of the best arbitration teams around.” The Legal 500 UK 2024
• “A formidable opponent in commercial disputes.” The Legal 500 APAC 2023

We are equipped to resolve any dispute in connection with an estate, trust, family business, conservatorship or guardianship. Our lawyers can guide you through litigation, or if feasible, alternative dispute resolution, such as arbitration, mediation and settlement agreements, because of their high-level knowledge of estate planning structures as well as their ability to navigate probate and surrogate’s court.

Our capabilities in the estate planning arena and extensive knowledge of estate planning techniques enhance our ability to successfully defend or challenge wills, trusts or other estate planning vehicles.

If a dispute is litigated, we advise and represent you with discretion just as we do with many of the nation’s leading corporate trustees, high net-worth individuals and major charitable organizations. We handle significant trust and fiduciary matters, will and trust contests, will and trust construction actions, accountings, citation actions to recover property, and in trust and estate disputes. We can also help you with claims of breach of fiduciary duty, reformation suits, and creditor’s claims. Additionally, we represent individuals and other interested parties in conservatorships and guardianships.

Our global restructuring and insolvency professionals bring a wealth of experience to the most difficult situations. We regularly work with clients across sectors and industries to assess risks, find hidden opportunities and deliver commercial and cost efficient results.

In 2023, Reed Smith lawyers tried more than 75 cases. Whether before a judge, a jury, or an arbitral tribunal, our deep bench of first-chair trial lawyers have the experience and advocacy skills necessary to help our clients achieve successful results in high-stakes disputes against some of the industry’s most formidable opponents.

As jury verdicts continue to rise, it is more critical than ever to engage counsel with a successful track record at trial, even if an out-of-court settlement or commercial resolution is the litigation objective. Our adversaries know that our seasoned trial lawyers prepare each case from the outset with a “trial-ready” mindset – an approach that maximizes our clients’ chances for a favorable resolution at the negotiating table or in the courtroom. Regardless of when we are retained – at the outset or on the eve of trial – or which side we are advocating for, our trial teams have the subject-matter knowledge, resources, and reputation needed to deliver exceptional results in complex, seemingly insurmountable disputes.