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Kevin is Chair of Wiggin and Danaโ€™s Litigation Departmentย and a seasoned trial lawyer with a national practice. He represents Fortune 500 companies and privately held businesses in complex civil litigation, with a focus on business disputes, product liability, and aviation. Kevin has successfully resolved high-stakes matters in federal and state courts across a range of industries, including aviation, financial services, healthcare, and technology. His cases often involve technically complex products and systems, such as jet engines, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and software, and span claims including breach of contract, tortious interference, unfair trade practices, patent infringement, wrongful death, product liability, and constitutional and civil rights.

Kevin is ranked as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA for Nationwide Aviation Litigation. He is also consistently recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a โ€œLitigation Star,โ€ by Lexology Indexย for aviation litigation, and by Super Lawyers for aviation litigation, product liability defense, and business litigation.

Kevin is a member of the highly selective Product Liability Advisory Council and chairs the firmโ€™s Product Liability and Aviation practices. In these areas, he has counseled and defended product designers, manufacturers, sellers, owners, operators, and insurers across a wide range of industries, including aviation, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, sporting goods, consumer products, food, and industrial equipment.

He also represents clients in commercial, contract, and intellectual property disputes involving investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, patent infringement, trade secrets, unfair and deceptive trade practices (CUTPA), RICO, antitrust, and other business tort claims.

Additionally, Kevin has advised and defended physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare entities in acquisition-related and commercial disputes, as well as in numerous medical malpractice and healthcare-related actions involving medical services, products, and devices with significant damage claims.

In addition to his active practice, Kevin devotes substantial time to firm leadership and the bar. He serves as Chair of the Litigation Department and is an immediate past member of the firmโ€™s Executive and Compensation Committees. He is a Founding Member of the Federal Bar Associationโ€™s Connecticut chapter and was appointed by the Judges of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut to serve on its Federal Grievance Committee. He also serves as the Connecticut State Chair of the International Association of Defense Counsel, is a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, and is the immediate past Treasurer and Finance Chair of the Board of Directors of Connecticut Statewide Legal Services. He is a proud recipient of the firmโ€™s Pro Bono Achievement Award.

Before joining the firm, Kevin served as a law clerk to the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and to the Honorable Barrington D. Parker of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He graduated with honors from Georgetown Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief ofย The Georgetown Law Journalย and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He earned his bachelorโ€™s degree with honors from Yale University.

Education

  • Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.)
  • Yale University (B.A.)

Bar Admissions

Court Admissions

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Federal Grievance Committee, U.S. District Court (Connecticut)
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Council
  • American Bar Association โ€“ Litigation Section,ย Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, Business Litigation, Aviation and Space Law, and Product Liability Committees
  • Product Liability Advisory Council
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Defense Research Institute
  • Connecticut Bar Association
  • New Haven County Bar Association
  • Yale Football Alumni Association

Awards and Recognitions

Chambers USA (2025)

Benchmark Litigation (2016-2025)

Super Lawyers (2015 โ€“ 2021, 2023 โ€“ 2024)

Lexology Index: Transport: Aviation Contentious โ€“ Recommended (2015-2026)

News

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Publications

Events

When: September 20, 2019

Location: Quinnipiac University School of Law

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: November 2, 2018

Location: Quinnipiac University School of Law

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: April 24, 2018

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: October 27, 2017

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: November 4, 2016

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: October 30, 2015

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: June 28, 2016

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: June 2, 2015

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: September 26, 2014

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: April 12, 2013

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: June 11, 2012

People: Kevin M. Smith

When: November 29, 2011

People: Kevin M. Smith

Experience

Examples of Kevinโ€™s recent experience representing clients across industries in high-stakes matters, include:

  • Won trial for healthcare organization arising out of tax controversy.
  • Won trial for investment bank over failed $500M capital raise for private debt fund.
  • Won trial for healthcare organization over disposition of nearly ten million dollars in charitable funds arising out of a complex acquisition and non-profit to profit healthcare system conversion.
  • Won trial for manufacturer enforcing patent and other intellectual property rights.
  • Won dismissal of wrongful death and other claims against airplane manufacturer under the General Aviation Revitalization Act (or GARA).
  • Won summary judgment for leading international consumer products manufacturer in an industrial accident case.
  • Resolved multi-state legal malpractice action on behalf of international law firm.
  • Resolved wrongful death claims against aviation MRO arising out of foreign crash of a jet airplane.
  • Resolved $90 million construction dispute for Fortune 500 consumer and industrial products manufacturer.
  • Resolved wrongful death and related product liability claims for Fortune 500 pharmaceuticals manufacturer arising out of clinical trial.
  • Resolved mass tort product liability claims on behalf of global pharmaceuticals manufacturer.
  • Representing Fortune 500 aviation manufacturer in multi-party, multi-jurisdictional wrongful death litigation arising out of foreign crash of jet airplane.
  • Representing Fortune 500 aviation manufacturer in wrongful death action arising out of failed take-off of a private jet.
  • Representing aviation manufacturer in cross-jurisdictional litigation involving wrongful death and commercial damages claims arising out of U.S. Forest Service firefighting accident.
  • Representing global energy company in climate change litigation brought by state attorney general.
  • Representing global manufacturer of worker safety, healthcare, and consumer goods in putative PFAS class action and consumer protection litigation brought by state attorney general.

Firm Highlights