Alison Smith is a partner in the White Collar Criminal Defense, Antitrust and Competition and Securities Litigation practice groups. Prior to joining Haynes and Boone in October 2005, she was a partner with Vinson & Elkins, LLP, and Dewey Ballantine, LLP and was co-head of both firms' antitrust practice groups. Between 1989 and 1991, she served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., where she was principal deputy of the division and responsible for federal antitrust enforcement in the nation's regulated industries, including transportation, energy, communications, financial institutions, healthcare, and technology. Alison practices in the area of complex business litigation, including private class action litigation in antitrust, securities, ERISA, and shareholder derivative actions. She also represents corporations and individuals in criminal and regulatory matters, including antitrust, Foreign Corrupt Practices, and export trade violation investigations. Alison provides antitrust counseling to corporations on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and distribution arrangements.

Alison has been consistently recognized as a "Texas Super Lawyer" by Texas Monthly and is included in Chambers USA America's Leading Business Lawyers, Who's Who Legal, The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, and Guide to the World's Leading Competition and Antitrust Lawyers. She was an adjunct professor of law at The University of Texas School of Law in 1992 and 1993, teaching antitrust law.

Selected Client Representations

• Plaintiff's action to recover $1.2 billion for wrongful dissociation from partnership to construct and operate offshore crude oil port.
• Plaintiff's action for the City of Houston to recover $1.7 million in testamentary bequest to build an animal adoption shelter for the city pound.
• Defense of antitrust conspiracy and monopolization litigation against major airline, telecommunications, energy and pipeline, insurance, and health care companies.
• Defense of federal class action antitrust litigation alleging price fixing in the commercial explosives and marine hose industry.
• Defense of federal antitrust investigations of alleged international cartels, including the air cargo, marine hose, commercial explosives, and heavy lift shipping antitrust investigations.
• Merger clearance before the federal antitrust regulatory agencies, including Hart-Scott-Rodino filings and responses to second requests, in the hospital, pharmaceutical delivery, marine transportation, geophysical services, and engine repair industries.
• Defense of private antitrust litigation concerning termination or suspension of physicians' medical staff privileges at several Texas hospitals.
• Defense of federal securities class action litigation, ERISA "stock drop" litigation, and shareholder derivative litigation for executives of a major energy corporation.
• Defense of federal grand jury investigations concerning alleged export trade violations, pension fraud, and environmental crimes.
• Defense of Commodity Futures Trading Commission investigation regarding alleged false price reporting in the energy business.
• Defense of state antitrust and unfair trade investigations in the manufacturing, automotive, and insurance industries.
• Antitrust counseling on mergers and acquisitions, single firm conduct, competitor collaborations, and distribution arrangements.

Recent Publications and Speeches

• Speaker, Antitrust Counseling & Compliance 2010, Ethical Obligations (Practising Law Institute, February 2010) 
• Speaker, U.S. and Foreign Antitrust Laws: The Expanding Impact on International Transactions (Houston Bar Association, International Law Section, October 2009) 
• Editorial Board, ABA Section of Antitrust Law, State Antitrust Practice and Statutes (4th Edition, 2009) 
• Panelist, The Key Competition Issues in a Time of Industry and Economic Crisis (IATA Legal Symposium, February 2009)
• Lecturer, Antitrust Trial Skill Program (ABA Antitrust Section, December 2008)
• "Antitrust Update," Corporate Counseling Committee of the ABA Antitrust Section (November 2008)
• "Trends in Antitrust Enforcement," presented at International Corporate Compliance Symposium for Multinational Firms (Association of Corporate Counsel, Oct. 23, 2008)
• "The New US-EU Open Skies Agreement: Competitive Effects and Future Prospects" (Transportation Industry Committee, ABA Antitrust Section, March 6, 2008)
• "US-EU Open Skies Agreement: What Will Be its Effects?" (IATA Legal Symposium, Feb. 2008)
• "Competition, Compliance, Consequences: New Regulatory Realities" (IATA Legal Symposium, Feb. 2007)
• "Stolt-Nielsen Indictment: A Blow to the Amnesty Program" (National Law Journal, Oct. 18, 2006)
• Report of Economic Evidence Task Force on the role and effectiveness of economic evidence in antitrust proceedings (ABA Antitrust Section, August 1, 2006)
• "State Antitrust Enforcement: Digging Under the Illinois Brick Wall," Global Competition Review, The Antitrust Review of the Americas (2006)
• "Defendant's Perspective on Exclusive Dealing" (June 24, 2005)
  

Professional Recognition

• Best Lawyers in America - Antitrust Law
• Chambers USA America's Leading Business Lawyers
• Who's Who Legal, The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers
• Guide to the World's Leading Competition and Antitrust Lawyers
• Texas Super Lawyer - Business Litigation
• Recognized in Best Lawyers 2011 - Antitrust Law

Selected Representative Experience

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Memberships

• American Law Institute
• Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association (Chair, Transportation Industry Committee; Co-chair, Private Antitrust Litigation Committee; Member, Economic Evidence Task Force; Member, Long Range Planning Committee; Editorial Board, State Antitrust Practice and Procedure (Fourth))
• Litigation Section of the American Bar Association
• Antitrust Section of the Houston Bar Association (Chair)
• Animal Law Section of the Houston Bar Association (Co-Founder and Chair)
• Animal Campus at Gragg Park, Project Team Leader
• Animal Advisory Committee, City of Houston
• Houston Renewable Energy Network
• Texas Bar Foundation

Online Publications