Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

317 Best Lawyers awards

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Awarded Practice Areas

Appellate Practice Bet-the-Company Litigation Commercial Litigation Litigation - ERISA Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
*Named the "Lawyer of the Year" in this practice area in the 2026 edition in Huntsville.

Biography

Scott Burnett Smith is a partner in the firm’s Huntsville office. His practice covers class actions, complex litigation, and appeals. Scott has been involved in dozens of nationwide class actions in state and federal courts, and he has handled over 30 class action appeals. He is also regularly involved as the appellate lawyer embedded with a trial team in complex civil litigation. In that role, he has succeeded in having several multi-million dollar injury verdicts (including punitive damages) remitted by the trial court or reversed and rendered by the appellate court.

The founder of the firm's Appellate Litigation Group, Scott has been involved in 15 cases (2 on the merits) before the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also been involved in over 140 appeals to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, D.C., and Federal Circuits, the Alabama Supreme Court, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, and the Arkansas Supreme Court. Scott has presented oral argument 21 times before appellate courts, including the Alabama Supreme Court and several federal courts of appeals.

Scott is active in DRI - The Voice of the Defense Bar. He currently serves as a National Director on DRI’s Board of Directors. He is the past-Chair of DRI’s Amicus Committee and past-Chair of DRI’s Appellate Advocacy Committee. He also served as Chair of DRI’s national Class Action seminar, held July 21-22, 2011, in Washington, D.C. He writes and speaks regularly on class actions and appellate practice.
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

317 Best Lawyers awards

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP logo

Overview

  • Auburn University, B.A., graduated 1991
  • Vanderbilt University, JD, graduated 1997

  • Alabama, Alabama State Bar Association

  • Alabama State Bar Association - Member
  • American Bar Association - Member
  • Defense Research Institute - Member
  • Eleventh Circuit Historical Society - Member
  • Federal Bar Association - Member
  • Fifth Circuit Bar Association - Member

  • United States Court of Appeals
  • Alabama, Alabama State Bar Association
  • Alabama State Bar Association - Member
  • American Bar Association - Member
  • Defense Research Institute - Member
  • Eleventh Circuit Historical Society - Member
  • Federal Bar Association - Member
  • Fifth Circuit Bar Association - Member
  • Auburn University, B.A., graduated 1991
  • Vanderbilt University, JD, graduated 1997
  • United States Court of Appeals

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2026 - Appellate Practice Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Appellate Practice Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2022 - Appellate Practice
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Appellate Practice, Huntsville (2026)
  • Appellate Practice, Huntsville (2024)
  • Appellate Practice, Huntsville (2022)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
  • Appellate Practice
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation - ERISA
  • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Arbitration
  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Awards:
  • Listed in Benchmark Litigation, "Appellate Star," Alabama, 2012-2013
  • Listed in Alabama Super Lawyers, Appellate, 2011-2013

Case History

Cases
  • Other Court Admissions
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • United States District Court, Middle District of Alabama
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama
  • Supreme Court of Alabama

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