John D. Smart has joined Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP as a partner in its Labor, Employment and Benefits; Immigration; and Litigation practice areas. Smart comes to the firm from Winstead PC’s Dallas office, where he was a shareholder. His experience also includes four years as a member of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps, including two years as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

“John strengthens our labor and employment practice and complements its resources with his immigration experience, enabling us to provide a full-suite of management-side offerings,” said James Skochdopole, managing partner of Bell Nunnally.

Smart represents employers in traditional labor, employment and immigration matters. Board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, he has first-chair experience litigating cases involving Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Smart also routinely advises on and litigates claims alleging: unfair competition; violations of non-competition and employment agreements; and defamation, tortious interference with contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress and other tort actions. He also regularly reviews employment and severance agreements, employee handbooks and personnel policies.

Smart’s immigration experience extends to obtaining both immigrant and non-immigrant visas for foreign employees and stakeholders, including those involved in specialty occupations, part of intracompany transfers, tapped to be executives and managers, and involved as treaty and trade investors. He routinely files and shepherds through the approval process visa petitions for H-1B, L-1, E, J, O, P and TN; blanket petitions; labor certification; and permanent residency.

Smart has been selected by his peers as a “Texas Super Lawyer” five times. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law (J.D., with highest honors, 1987) and Vanderbilt University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1984).

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