Smith to receive Outstanding Achievement Award from bar

Foster Swift Collins & Smith litigator and name partner, Webb “Tony” Smith, will be awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award by the Negligence Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan (SBM) in a virtual ceremony on August 13.

The Outstanding Achievement Award is given annually to an attorney who has exhibited the highest standards of practice and commitment for the benefit of the SBM section.

A native of Lansing, Smith completed his undergraduate studies at Michigan State University and received his juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School in 1963. Smith’s name was officially added to the firm letterhead in 1989. He continues to practice in the firm’s Lansing office in the areas of commercial litigation, energy law and first amendment law.

Among the matters he has represented include:

• Lead counsel for Shell Oil Co. in a landmark Pigeon River litigation (State of Michigan Legal Milestone).

• Lead counsel for oil and gas industry (including Shell Oil Co.) in public hearings before Michigan Department of Natural Resources (now the Department of Environmental Quality) in establishing rules for handling Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials ("NORM") forming on underground pipes.

Smith is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Litigation Counsel of America and Ingham County Bar Foundation. He is also a recipient of the Ingham County Bar Association’s Leo Farhat Outstanding Attorney award and the Thomas E. Brennan Lifetime Achievement award.

In 2019, Smith was inducted into the Inaugural Hall of Fame Class by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Inductees are recognized for their significant success and demonstration of strong leadership both within the legal field and in the community.

In addition to his practice, Smith still takes the time to act as both an ambassador and mentor to the firm’s young attorneys as they start their journey into the legal field.