John Smither Joins Kean Miller in Houston, Bolsters Eminent Domain, Energy, and Commercial Litigation Practices

Kean Miller’s rapid growth continues as the 199-attorney, full-service law firm announces the addition of John J. Smither as Senior Counsel. John joins Kean Miller in the Houston office, where he will continue his commercial litigation practice with a particular emphasis on eminent domain and land use matters.

John routinely represents clients who exercise the power of eminent domain to acquire temporary and permanent easements for common carrier and gas utility transmission and lateral lines. He has represented numerous pipeline companies and electric utilities condemning for right-of-way on interstate and intrastate projects traversing the State of Texas. He has experience handling matters for condemnors in all phases of the condemnation process including survey access, initial and final offers, special commissioners’ hearings in the administrative phase, and right to take and damage issues in the judicial phase.

John also has extensive litigation experience handling personal injury and product liability cases, including premises liability and complex, multi-party, multi-district product cases. He also handles matters involving commercial disputes and construction defects.

John is licensed to practice in all state and federal courts in Texas as well as the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is AV Preeminent-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He is also a member of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas.

Kean Miller is one of the largest and best recognized law firms in the Gulf South region. For 40 years, the Firm has been innovating and growing, revolutionizing the standards for excellence in client service, and earning numerous awards for its market-leading practices and thoughtful and creative legal representation. Consistently named to the National Law Journal’s NLJ 500 and the Law 360 Top 400 lists, Kean Miller is Mansfield 5.0 certified, an honor bestowed for a select group of law firms which demonstrate a genuine commitment to diversity in the legal profession. The Firm’s collaborative culture, people-first approach, and devotion to quality are foundational to the Firm’s continued success, reflecting its reputation in the market. From the Firm’s eight offices in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Houston, and The Woodlands, and 199 attorneys, Kean Miller delivers sophisticated and meaningful counsel to Fortune 500 leaders, national businesses, and local companies.