Scott F. Smith

Scott F. Smith chairs the firm’s global Corporate practice. He is a principal advisor to companies, private equity funds, including Illumina, Indivior, Leeds Equity, and Public Pension Capital. He advises corporate boards, special committees and audit committees on corporate governance and general securities law matters.

Mr. Smith led the Covington team advising Illumina in its $1.2 billion acquisition of Pacific Biosciences, Abbvie in its $5.8 billion acquisition of Stemcentrx, Indivior in its demerger from Reckitt Benckiser, P&G in the $3.1 billion sale of its global pharmaceutical business to Warner Chilcott, Omthera Pharmaceuticals in its $433 million merger with AstraZeneca, King Pharmaceuticals in its $3.6 billion merger with Pfizer, Medarex in its $2.4 billion merger with Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kerr-McGee in its $18 billion merger into Anadarko Petroleum Corp., and SandRidge Energy in its $1.3 billion acquisition of Dynamic Offshore Resources and $1.6 billion acquisition of Arena Resources, and the $2.6 billion sale of its Permian Basin Assets. He has advised Kerr-McGee, SandRidge Energy, Computer Associates in the defense of hostile proxy contests, and several companies in activist situations.

Private equity work includes the sale by Charlesbank Capital Partners of American Tire Distributors and Regency Gas Services, Healthpoint Capital’s merger of Scient’x with Alphatec, and the acquisition by Public Pension Capital of KVK.

Education :

• University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1980
  • with high honors
  • Order of the Coif
• Harvard University, A.B., 1976
  • magna cum laude

Bar Admissions : New York