Steve Smith is a partner in O’Melveny's San Francisco and Washington, D.C. offices and Chair of the Firm’s International Arbitration practice.  His practice focuses on the arbitration and litigation of complex international commercial disputes in a broad range of different industries.  In his 27 years of private practice, Steve has handled matters for and against sovereign entities from the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa, and has served as both counsel and arbitrator in numerous arbitrations throughout the world.

Recognized as one of the world's leading international arbitration lawyers in many notable lawyer directories, Steve has been described by Chambers USA and other publications as “a truly outstanding advocate whose written product and oral advocacy simply astound;” a "masterful advocate who can put together mesmerizing argument;" a "first-class advocate;" and an "outstanding counsel."  Steve is the recipient of the 2008 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award for his extraordinary achievement in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Steve is a frequent author and speaker on international arbitration. He is a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration in Paris, France, chairs the ICC’s arbitration Committee for the Northwest US and is the vice-chair of the ABA’s International Arbitration Committee. He is a former chair of the International Law Section of the California State Bar.

Steve is a Lecturer in Law at Stanford Law School where he teaches the course on international commercial arbitration.

Steve holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, graduate degrees in history and law from Cambridge University and a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was founding editor-in-chief of the school’s international law journal.