Bio

Kelly Smercina focuses her practice on representing corporate clients and investment banking firms in a wide range of capital markets and other financing transactions, including in connection with acquisitions and spin‑offs. She also has significant experience representing clients in mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters. Ms. Smercina is an author on legal developments in the areas of capital markets and finance, having contributed to publications such as Chambers’ Acquisition Finance Guide. Ms. Smercina has been named to the Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list. Ms. Smercina is from Brecksville, Ohio. She received a B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 2011, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a J.D. summa cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 2014, where she was Contributing Editor of the Law Review. Before joining Cravath, Ms. Smercina served as a law clerk to Hon. Diarmuid O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ms. Smercina joined Cravath in 2015 and was elected a partner in 2022.