Smith Anderson

What Smith Anderson does

Smith Anderson, legally Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP, is a privately held, full-service business and litigation law firm founded in 1912 and headquartered at 150 Fayetteville Street, Suite 2800 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The firm delivers legal services across ten core practice areas: Corporate & Transactional Law, Debt Finance, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Employment/Labor/Human Resources, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Private Client Services, Real Estate Development, Regulatory & Public Policy, and an integrated Workplace Law offering. Sub-practices span approximately 50 specialized areas, including patent litigation, technology transactions, mergers and acquisitions, financial institutions, higher education, health care law, mass tort, and toxic torts. The firm describes its Workforce Law group as an integrated hub combining employment, labor, HR, benefits, OSHA, and non-compete expertise.

The firm serves regional, national, and multinational enterprises, with prominent representations including First Citizens Bank (its merger with CIT Group forming the 19th largest U.S. bank, and acquisition of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank), Cree (sale of LED business to SMART Global Holdings for up to $300 million), and General Parts International ($2.04 billion merger with Advance Auto Parts). Additional client segments include closely-held and family-owned businesses, banking and financial institutions, health care providers, technology and AI-adjacent companies, and high-net-worth individuals requiring private client services. Smith Anderson reports clients in 40 countries and maintains an annual thought-leadership calendar including the 31st Annual Employment Law Update.

The business model is professional services revenue: fees are negotiated individually per matter across hourly, fixed-fee, or contingency arrangements depending on practice area and client. The firm is structured as a North Carolina limited liability partnership, is independently owned by its partners, and has no parent company or institutional investor. Headcount has expanded from 160 attorneys (as of December 31, 2022) to over 170 currently, with nearly half of attorneys recruited laterally from national and international firms. The firm was ranked 271st on Law360 400 and 280th on NLJ 500 in 2023, and it has invested substantially in profile building through Chambers USA (49 attorneys recognized, 7 top-tier practice areas in 2025), Best Law Firms (48 practice areas, 41 Tier 1 in 2025), BTI Client Service A-Team, and BTI Most Innovative Law Firms. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Smith Anderson

Legal name

Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP

Website

https://smithlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Smith Anderson is a full-service business and litigation law firm headquartered in Raleigh, NC, serving regional, national, and global enterprises across corporate, M&A, litigation, IP, employment, real estate, and regulatory matters with 170+ attorneys.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business & Litigation Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM), Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Business litigation services
• Corporate transactional law
• Mergers and acquisitions counsel
• Intellectual property law
• Employment workplace law

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Smith Anderson generates revenue through professional legal services including corporate transactional work, litigation, employment law, intellectual property, and regulatory advisory services. As a law firm, revenue is derived from client engagements on an hourly fee, fixed fee, or contingency basis depending on practice area and client arrangement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Smith Anderson is a full-service business and litigation law firm providing legal counsel across ten practice areas including Corporate & Transactional Law, Debt Finance, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Employment/Labor/Human Resources, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Private Client Services, Real Estate Development, Regulatory & Public Policy, and Workplace Law. The firm is staffed by 170+ attorneys and serves regional, national, and global corporate clients on complex matters including M&A, litigation, regulatory compliance, and IP protection.

Product overview

Smith Anderson is a full-service business and litigation law firm providing legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm operates as a unified platform offering Corporate & Transactional Law, Debt Finance, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Employment/Labor/Human Resources, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Private Client Services, Real Estate Development, Regulatory & Public Policy, and Workplace Law. These practice areas are interconnected, with the Workplace Law practice serving as an integrated hub combining employment, labor, HR, benefits, OSHA, and non-compete expertise. The firm serves regional, national and global companies from its Raleigh, North Carolina office.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate & Transactional Law Comprehensive corporate legal services covering corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, financial institutions, private equity, public companies, and tax advisory for corporate clients.
• Debt Finance Finance legal services covering corporate and syndicated finance, mezzanine finance, sponsor finance, and venture debt/technology and fund finance.
• Intellectual Property IP legal services including patent litigation, trademark and copyright, advertising and marketing, data privacy and security, and technology transactions.
• Litigation Full-service litigation practice covering business litigation, construction, employment, environmental, insurance recovery, mass tort, patent, pharmaceutical, product liability, and trademark matters.
• Employment, Labor and Human Resources Workplace law services including wage and hour compliance, internal investigations, employment litigation, government investigations, FMLA/ADA compliance, workforce restructuring, and HR training.
• Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Benefits legal services including 401(k) and retirement plans, ESOP design, health plans, stock option plans, executive compensation, deferred compensation, and government audits.
• Private Client Services Legal services for individuals including closely-held and family-owned businesses, tax planning, and trusts and estates.
• Real Estate Development Real estate legal services covering commercial real estate, construction, environmental, land use and zoning, OSHA, real estate litigation, and right-of-way acquisition.
• Regulatory & Public Policy Government regulatory services including administrative law, corporate relocation incentives, data privacy, employee benefits, employment law, environmental, government contracting, and health care.
• Workplace Law Integrated workplace legal services combining employment, labor, human resources, employee benefits, OSHA, and non-compete/trade secrets practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49 Chambers Ranked Attorneys in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein: Charlotte-based full-service business and litigation law firm serving the Carolinas. Direct competitor in NC corporate, litigation, and regulatory practices with similar mid-tier national ranking scale.
• Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: Multi-office Southeast law firm with deep NC presence. Comparable in full-service business and litigation offerings and target enterprise client segments across the Carolinas.
• Moore & Van Allen: Charlotte-headquartered full-service law firm with comparable practice areas (corporate, litigation, banking, employment). Direct NC competitor for enterprise and mid-market clients.
• Maynard Nexsen: Southeast-based full-service law firm with comparable size, practice mix, and NC/Southeast regional focus. Competes for similar enterprise, banking, and corporate clients across the Carolinas.
• McGuireWoods: Mid-Atlantic/Southeast full-service law firm with similar practice mix and comparable regional mid-tier national scale. Direct competitor for corporate, litigation, and healthcare matters across the Carolinas.
• Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton: Raleigh-based full-service business law firm with similar practice mix in corporate, securities, IP, and litigation. Direct local competitor for emerging companies and enterprise work in the Research Triangle.
• Brooks Pierce: North Carolina-based business law firm with similar practice mix and regional enterprise client base. Competes directly in Greensboro/Raleigh markets across corporate, litigation, and regulatory practices.
• Womble Bond Dickinson: Mid-Atlantic/Southeast full-service business law firm with strong presence in the Carolinas. Comparable in practice mix (corporate, litigation, IP, employment) and target market (mid-market and enterprise regional companies).

Broad incumbents

• Hunton Andrews Kurth: National full-service law firm with strong banking/financial institutions, energy, and corporate practices. Competes for similar enterprise clients in NC and the broader Southeast, particularly on banking and regulatory matters.
• K&L Gates: Global law firm with overlapping practice areas (corporate, IP, finance, litigation) and a Raleigh office. Larger scale and broader geographic footprint put it in competition for the same enterprise matters, particularly technology and life sciences work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smithandersonlaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smith-anderson

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smith Anderson