Alan York

Alan is an appellate partner who focuses on pre-trial/trial strategy and support and error preservation, as well as appellate briefing and argument on significant civil cases. In addition to his appellate docket, Alan is actively involved in trial practice, and served as one of the lead litigation and appellate counsel in one of the largest environmental litigation matters in U.S. history. He handles business disputes, environmental issues, insurance coverage, banking and real estate, and bankruptcy.

Alan is Reed Smith’s global chair of diversity, equity and inclusion. He leads the firm’s industry-recognized DEI program, developing and implementing policies and programs aimed at fostering an inclusive culture, recruiting and advancing diverse talent, collaborating with clients, and serving underrepresented communities. He serves on the National Board as a member of the National Leadership Council as a leader of the Houston Leadership Committee for Lambda Legal, the most active legal organization fighting for the rights of the LGBTQ+ and HIV+ communities in the U.S.

Alan has been involved in appellate law since 1989. He has serveds as chair of the Houston Bar Association Appellate Practice Section, and as a council member of the State Bar of Texas Appellate Practice Section. He has also served as a judicial liaison between these bar sections and the judiciary. Alan received a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1989 and a B.B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Houston in 1986.