Steven L Smith

Career

Steve Smith pioneered the practice of international arbitration in California, with a focus on complex, high-stakes disputes in a range of industries. He has worked extensively in the energy, infrastructure, mining, chemical, and life sciences fields and has significant experience resolving cross-border licensing, distribution, and joint venture disputes. He has been the lead advocate for clients in numerous ad hoc and institutional arbitrations, including under the UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, ICDR, SIAC, WIPO, DIS and HKIAC Rules, and has handled matters involving sovereign entities from five different continents, including before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal. He regularly serves as an arbitrator. Steve was a longstanding member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and the SIAC Users Council, and he has also chaired the ABA's International Arbitration Committee and the California State Bar’s International Law Section. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Journal of International Law. He received the prestigious Riesenfeld Award from U.C. Berkeley School of Law in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of international law, as well as the California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award for extraordinary achievement in alternative dispute resolution. For many years, Steve taught international arbitration at Stanford Law School.