Nicholas W. Smith
Associate
Nicholas Smith is a litigation associate based in Ropes & Gray’s Chicago office. Nicholas represents clients in connection with complex commercial litigation, white collar criminal enforcement, and internal investigations. He also maintains an active pro bono litigation practice. During law school, Nicholas served as both Comments Editor and Topic Access Editor for the University of Chicago Legal Forum.
Experience
- Represented Fortune 500 company in a contract and consumer-fraud suit stemming from a data security breach through trial.
- Represented minority-shareholder and company-founder client in arbitration against majority shareholder, vindicating client’s contractual rights in arbitral award and subsequent confirmation by the S.D.N.Y.
- Representing investment manager in residential mortgage-backed securities trust litigation.
- Conducted internal investigation of pharmaceutical company regarding allegations of improper sales tactics.
- Assists with internal investigations on behalf of energy company.
- Assisted in international risk due diligence for client seeking to purchase a business subject to ongoing Department of Justice Deferred Prosecution Agreement.
- Secured grant of asylum for pro bono client.
- Assisting Criminal Justice Act appointed counsel in representation of criminal defendant in contested sentencing hearing.
Publications
- Co-author, “Remote Control: Best Practices for Litigating and Investigating During COVID and Beyond,” Ropes & Gray Alert (July 29, 2020)
Education
- JD, Honors, The University of Chicago Law School, 2017
- BA (Joint Honors Degree in Political Science and Sociology), McGill University, 2011
Admissions / Qualifications
Qualifications
- Illinois, 2017
- New York, 2021
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2020