Gary I. Smith Jr.

  • Partner
  • San Francisco
he / him / his
Gary I. Smith Jr.

OVERVIEW

Gary is an experienced litigator, focusing his practice on complex federal antitrust cases. Gary has successfully represented clients in district court proceedings, on appeal to the circuit courts, and when necessary, in the Supreme Court of the United States. All told, Gary has recovered over $1 billion for clients that were the victims of antitrust violations. The Legal 500 has identified Gary as a “key name in California” for antitrust litigation and described Gary as “creative and intellectually nimble,” “a practical and effective litigator,” “a pleasure to work with,” and “a very skilled advocate” that “takes his professional and ethical obligations seriously.”

Gary has litigated cases involving monopolistic and cartel activity in a wide range of industries, from the agricultural sector to the financial markets – with a particular emphasis on healthcare, where Gary has represented hospitals and physicians in matters concerning overcharges on medical, surgical, and dental products as well as biologics (vaccines) and pharmaceuticals. For this work, Gary has been honored as a Rising Star Under 40 in Healthcare Law by Law360 (2017), a Rising Star in Antitrust Litigation (2017 to 2022) and a Super Lawyer for Antitrust Litigation (2023-2024), a Trailblazer by the Legal Intelligencer (2019), an Honoree on Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under List (2023), and a recipient of the American Antitrust Institute’s Outstanding Achievement in Private Law Practice Award (2023).

Gary is also committed to legal scholarship, the development of the antitrust laws, and serving the community through pro bono work. Gary has authored numerous articles on competition issues and the legal profession, including for the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Young Lawyers Division, the ABA’s Health Care Chronicle, and most notably, contributing to the Eighth Edition of the ABA Antitrust Section’s seminal publication, Antitrust Law Developments. As a former Chair of the Committee to Support the Antitrust Law’s (COSAL) Amicus Committee, Gary has authored or contributed to amicus filings across the circuit courts and in the Supreme Court seeking to advance progressive competition law policies. And on the pro bono front, Gary has represented victims of clergy sexual abuse that received settlement offers from the Philadelphia Archdiocese. For this and other pro bono work, Gary and Hausfeld’s Philadelphia office received the Philadelphia Bar Foundation’s 2019 Pro Bono Award.

Clients

Gary counts among his clients hospitals and hospital systems, pediatricians, dentists and dental laboratories, universities, local governments, investment and pension funds, advertising agencies, and farmers.

EDUCATION

Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, J.D., 2011

University of Arizona, B.S.B.A. in Business Economics, 2008

BAR ADMISSIONS

Pennsylvania

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Arizona

United States District Court for the District of Arizona

California

United States District Court for the Southern District of California

United States District Court for the Central District of California

United States District Court for the Northern District of California  

United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

United States Supreme Court

AFFILIATIONS

American Bar Assocation - Antitrust Section, Member

California Lawyers Association - Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section, Executive Committee Member

Committee to Support the Antitrust Laws - Amicus Committee, Chair (2020-2022)

Willard H. Pedrick Scholar

WHAT OTHERS SAY

American Antitrust Institute 

Best Lawyers

Benchmark Litigation 

Courts

"This is a substantial recovery that has the deterrent effect that class actions are supposed to have, and I think it was done because we had really good Plaintiffs’ Lawyers in this case who were running it."

- Comments of Judge Brian M. Cogan during the Final Approval Hearing in In re Dental Supplies Antirust Litigation, where Gary successfully argued for final approval of the $80 million settlement with Defendants Henry Schein, Inc., Patterson Companies, Inc., and Benco Dental Supply Co.

Law360

Legal 500

"Gary Smith is a very talented, ethical lawyer." (Legal 500 US, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Action: Plaintiff, 2024)

"Gary Smith is a very smart lawyer, that is a very skilled advocate, who, while representing his clients’ interests vigorously, takes his professional and ethical obligations seriously." (Legal 500 US, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Action: Plaintiff, 2023)

"Gary Smith is a pleasure to work with. He is creative and intellectually nimble in crafting antitrust theories and legal arguments. He is also a practical and effective litigator." (Legal 500 US, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Action: Plaintiff, 2023)

Super Lawyers

The Legal Intelligencer

Other

 

PUBLICATIONS

Gary's other publications include:

Press:

NEWS

EVENTS

Experience

Antitrust/Competition