J. Allen Smith

ABOUT

As the son of an attorney, with two brothers who are also attorneys, and his own son is a licensed attorney, Allen’s roots in law run deep. He regularly speaks at industry and legal conferences, has written many articles, and is featured often in both local and national media.

Allen is a sixth-generation Texan and native Dallasite, and he oversees a cattle operation that has been a family business for more than 70 years.

Allen is Chairman of the Board of SettlePou and head of the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice. Allen has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1992. His experience and ability to be creative with assessments and solutions make him a powerful advocate for his clients.

AREAS OF PRACTICE

• Commercial Litigation
• Financial Services Litigation
• Eminent Domain & Condemnation

EDUCATION

• Southern Methodist University, B.B.A., 1981
• South Texas College of Law, J.D., 1984

ADMISSIONS & HONORS

• 2019 OAAA Hall of Fame recipient
• Recipient of Private Bar Involvement Award for Pro Bono Legal Services, awarded by the Dallas Bar Association and Legal Services of North Texas, November 12th, 1992
• Selected in Texas Super Lawyers, published by Thompson Reuters, 18 years in a row (2007-2024)
• Selected in Texas Super Lawyers Business Edition, published by Thompson Reuters (2013, 2014)
• Selected in Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition, published by Thompson Reuters (2009)
• AV Preeminent Rating, Martindale Hubbell for over 30 years
• 10 out of 10 AVVO Rating
• Who’s Who in American Law
• Who’s Who in Texas
• Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
• Texas State Bar Admittance, 1984
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
• All Federal Court Districts in Texas

ARTICLES & PRESENTATIONS

• US Supreme Court Decision Potentially Impacts OOH Industry Regulations, billboardinsider.com, July 10, 2024
• Condemnation and Relocation of Outdoor Advertising Signs, OAAA Legal Seminar, November 15-16, 2022, Arlington, VA.
• The First Amendment Threat to the Viability of the HBA, State Regulation, and the Statutory Requirement of Just Compensation, OAAA Legal Seminar, December 10, 2020, Washington, DC (virtually)
• Billboard Taxation, OAAA Media Conference, May 20-22, 2019, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Interviewed and quoted in Dallas Morning News article entitled “CEO’s at D-FW’s Top 100 Places to Work offer some of their leadership secrets” January 13, 2019
• Takings and Just Compensation, Outdoor Advertising Association of America Legal Seminar, November 14th, 2018, New York, New York
• Interviewed and quoted in Dallas Morning News Top 100 places to Work October 2018 article entitled “Making a Comeback”
• Outdoor Advertising Valuation and Tax Assessments Update, 2017 National Webinar International Association of Assessing Officers
• Condemnation of Outdoor Advertising Signs, 2016 OAAA Legal Seminar, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Billboard Valuation Law, International Right of Way 2016 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee
• A Uniform Approach to Ad Valorem Valuation, Outdoor Advertising Association of America Legal Seminar, Washington, DC
• Condemnation Update, Outdoor Advertising Association of America Legal Seminar, Washington, DC
• Extraordinary Remedies, Houston and Dallas Continuing Legal Education Seminar
• Alternative Dispute Resolution, Annual Texas Mortgage Bankers Association Seminar, Dallas, Texas
• Analysis of Premises Liability of Seller/Buyer and Mortgor/Mortgagee, Premises Liability Seminar, Dallas, Texas
• Mediation and Arbitration: The Effective Alternatives to Litigation for Resolving Disputes, Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas Annual Conference, Houston, Texas
• Annual Legislature and Judiciary Report, Dallas Mortgage Bankers Association, Dallas, Texas
• When Do You Call Your Attorney?, Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas Annual Seminar, Austin, Texas
• Real Property Preservation Rights Act, Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas Annual Seminar, Austin, Texas
• Eminent Domain Rights of the Property Owner, Outdoor Advertising Association of Oklahoma Seminar, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Valuation and Condemnation Topics, Outdoor Advertising Association of America Legal Forum, Washington, DC
• Eminent Domain Litigation Issues—Tips Regarding the Commissioner’s Hearing and Trial De Novo Process, State Bar of Texas, Legal Assistants Division Seminar, Dallas, Texas
• Determining the Value of Billboards—Crossfire Session, International Right of Way Association, 48th Annual International Education Seminar, Mobile, Alabama
• Outdoor Advertising Appraising, American Society of Appraisers International Appraisal Conference, Tampa, Florida
• Outdoor Advertising Condemnation and Inverse Condemnation Update, Outdoor Advertising Association of America Legal Forum, Key Biscayne, Florida
• Billboards—Property Interest Pertaining to Outdoor Advertising Signs, Advanced Real Estate Course, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio, Texas
• Valuation of Billboards: Personalty vs. Realty, American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials and Federal Highway Administration Annual Conference, Austin, Texas
• Valuation Issues Panel, Taxation v. Condemnation, Florida Outdoor Advertising Association Annual Convention, Key West, Florida
• Valuing Your Billboards: Getting Fair Market Value and Avoiding Mistakes, Outdoor Advertising Association of America Legislative Conference, San Diego, California
• Condemnation and Valuation of Outdoor Signs, Outdoor Advertising Association of America Legal Seminar, San Diego, California
• Billboard Valuation: What’s the Issue?, National Alliance of Highway Beautification Agencies Ninth Annual Conference, Cleveland, Ohio
• The Federal Court’s Vanishing Jurisdiction in Fifth Amendment Takings Litigation, Outdoor Advertising Association of America Legal Seminar, San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Regulatory Impact on the Value of Billboards, National Alliance of Highway Beautification Agencies’ Twelfth Annual Conference, Branson, Missouri
• Taxes and Takings, Outdoor Advertising Association of America National Webinar
• A National Review of Uniformity in Ad Valorem Tax Valuation of Billboard Property, 7, 1 Journal of Property Tax Assessment & Administration Taxes 61-70
• Taxes, Outdoor Advertising Association of America National Webinar
• The Rule 263 Trial By Agreement, Co-author with Bradley E. McLain, 27, 3 The Texas Lawyer Special Edition, Litigation and E-Discovery 20
• Eminent Domain 101 for Real Estate Lawyers, Dallas Bar Association Real Estate Section, Belo Mansion, Dallas Texas
• Interviewed and quoted in Pay Up, Texas Lawyer
• Featured in The Big Picture, Texas Lawyer, 2-part series article
• Interviewed and quoted in Settlement Sessions Go High-tech, Lawyers USA
• Featured in View from the Top: Managing Partners Survey Shows What a Difference Five Years Make, Texas Lawyer
• Interviewed and quoted in Bad Economy a Boon for Pre-suit Mediation?, Lawyers USA
• Interviewed and quoted in Managing Partner’s Survey, Texas Lawyer
• Reported Case: City of Austin, Tex. v. Reagan Nat’l Advert. of Austin, LLC, 596 U.S. ___ (2022)
• Reported Case: U.S. Bank Tr., N.A. as Tr. for LSF8 Master Participation Tr. v. Freedom Indeed Found., Inc., No. 08-20-00101-CV, 2021 WL 754345 (Tex. App.—El Paso Feb. 26, 2021, no pet.)
• Reported Case: Reagan National Advertising of Austin, Inc. v. City of Austin, No. 19-50354 (5th Cir. 2020)
• Reported case: State of Texas v. Moore Outdoor Properties, L.P., and Arlington Outdoor of Fort Worth, L.P., No. 08-12-00034-CV (Tex.App.—El Paso) (Nov. 13, 2013) (slip opinion)
• Reported Case: Alma R. Massey Santibanez v. Saxon Mortgage, Inc., et al. (Tex. App.—Eastland, August 23, 2012 (No. 11-10-00227-CV)
• Reported Case: Tharp v. Tharp, 772 S.W.2d 467 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1989)
• Reported Case: Patrick Media Group, Inc. v. Dallas Area Rapid Transit, 879 S.W.2d 375 (Tex. App.—Eastland 1994)
• Reported Case: Boyd v. Diversified Financial Systems, 1 S.W.3d 888 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1999)
• Reported Case: Bosque Asset Corporation v. Greenberg, 19 S.W. 3rd 514 (Tex. App.—Eastland 2000)
• Reported Case: Eller Media Company v. The State of Texas, 51 S.W.3d 783 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2001)
• Reported Case: Diversified Financial Systems, Inc. v. Hill, Heard, O’Neal, Gilstrap and Goetz, P.C., 63 S.W.3d 795, 44 Tex. Sup.Ct. J.1182 (Tex. 2001)
• Reported Case: Peoples v. Sebring Capital Corporation, 209 F.R.D. 428 (N.D. Ill. 2002)
• Reported Case: Villalon v. Bank One, 176 S.W.3d 66 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2004, pet. denied)
• Reported Case: Martin v. Cadle Company, 133 S. W. 3rd 897 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2004)
• Reported Case: City of Houston v. Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc., 161 S.W.3d 3 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2004), rev’d, 197 S.W.3d 386 (Tex. 2006) (per curium).
• Reported Case: In re Lamar Corp., No. 13-06-596-CV, 2006 WL 3234027 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi November 9, 2006, orig. proceeding)
• Reported Case: Lamar Adver. Co. v. Texas Dept. of Transp., No. 03-06-00356-CV, 2007 WL 1790584 (Tex. App.—Austin 2007, no pet.)
• Reported Case: Lamar Corp. v. Jowers, No. 13-06-497-CV, 2007 WL 1218042 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi April 26, 2007) (appeal dism’d by agr.)
• Reported Case: City of Houston v. Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc., 233 S.W.3d 441 (Tex. App.—Houston [14 Dist.] 2007, no pet.)
• Reported Case: Dallas County Community College Dist. v. Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc., 2008 WL 3307085 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2008
• Reported Case: Brooks v. Bank of New York Trust Co., 2008 WL 2639240 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2008)
• Reported Case: City of Argyle v. Pierce, 258 SW3rd 674 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2008)
• Reported Case: Harris County Flood Control Dist. v. Roberts, 252 SW3rd 667 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th District] 2008)
• Reported Case: Schriver v. Texas Dept. of Transp., 2009 WL 2357001 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth, July 30, 2009)
• Reported Case: Potter v. Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc., 2009 WL 1886168 (Tex. App.—Houston [1 Dist.], July 02, 2009)
• Reported Case: The State of Texas v. Central Expressway Sign Associates, 302 S. W. 3rd 866 (Tex. 2009)
• Reported Case: Texas Department of Transportation v Sefzik, 355 S.W. 3rd 618 (Texas Supreme Court, 2011)