David C. Smith (JD '95) Elevated to Equity Partner at Manatt

Pepperdine Caruso Law alumnus David C. Smith has been elevated to partner at Manatt.  Smith has worked at Manatt since 2018, and is located in both Manatt’s San Francisco and Orange County offices. Beyond his personal practice of land use, entitlement, and regulatory compliance, Manatt is recognized annually at the highest levels for its practices in: real estate transactions, leasing, and finance; educational institutions; litigation of all stripes; energy and environmental regulation; government relations; privacy and data security; employment; health care; entertainment; and more. 

Smith said, "I am looking forward to stepping into this role and further leveraging the firm’s nationally recognized full-service legal and consulting platform to craft strategic, effective, and efficient solutions tailored to our clients’ business and legal needs.  Pepperdine equipped me for what has been a dynamic and pretty unconventional legal path.  My practice and ongoing studies now keep me on the cutting edge of some of our country’s most pressing environmental and social issues.”

Smith is currently in the process of securing a legal master’s degree in Energy and Climate Change, broadening his practice to all areas of sustainability, ESG, and the ever-evolving realm of climate-related regulatory compliance.  He will be speaking on an environmental law panel to Pepperdine Caruso Law students on his practice areas and work on March 17 on Zoom.