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Drew Smith is Counsel at Berenzweig Leonard and joined the firm in March of 2015. His practice focuses on representing businesses in employment and litigation matters, as well as handling commercial contracts and corporate transactions.

He proactively advises his clients of legal developments and common pitfalls to help reduce their legal risks through comprehensive document reviews and updates, personalized training sessions, and practical guidance. When legal matters do reach the point of litigation, Drew has an outstanding track record of securing dismissals before cases reach trial.

Before joining the firm, Drew worked in the field of public finance, representing underwriting clients at a boutique D.C. law firm, worked as a transactional attorney at a well-regarded Tysons, Virginia business law firm, and served as an NFL Contract Advisor, representing dozens of NFL players and negotiating contracts with all 32 NFL teams.

RECOGNITION AND CERTIFICATIONS

  • Leaders in the Law Honoree, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2026
  • Top Attorney, Arlington Magazine, 2025
  • Virginia’s Legal Elite, Virginia Business Magazine, 2025

RECENT REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

(DISCLAIMER: THERE ARE A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE, AND THE CASE RESULTS STATED BELOW DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE UNDERTAKEN BY DREW SMITH OR BERENZWEIG LEONARD)

  • Represented credit union against allegations of failure to accommodate, hostile work environment, disparate treatment, and unlawful interference under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Virginia Human Rights Act, interference and retaliation under the Family and Medical Leave Act, and retaliation under the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Law. Hostile work environment and FMLA interference claims were dismissed on the Credit Union’s Motion to Dismiss. Court later granted the Credit Union’s Motion for Summary Judgment on all remaining counts. Ramsay v. The United States Senate Federal Credit Union,Civil Action No. 1:24-cv-963 (AJT/IDD) (E.D.Va. Mar. 7, 2025).
  • Represented credit union against allegations of lending discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Title VI, and Fair Credit Reporting Act. Court granted defendant’s Motion to Dismiss plaintiff’s Amended Complaint and dismissed plaintiff’s claims, in toto, with prejudice. Wilson Ochar v. Apple Federal Credit Union, Case No. 1:24-cv-00757 (E.D. Va. Sept. 3, 2024).
  • Represented financial services, investments, and insurance business against claims of race discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation; motion for summary judgment granted and dismissed Plaintiff’s counts with prejudice. Curtis Clark v. Pacific Advisors, Inc., Case No. 20STCV36673 (Cal. Super. Ct. L.A. Sept. 19, 2022).
  • Represented a multi-specialty engineering firm against 6 claims of disability and age discrimination claims; motion to dismiss granted in full on all counts dismissing entirety of case with prejudice. Tyrone Harrison v. Hillis-Carnes Engineering Associates, Inc., Case No. 1:21-cv-03269 (D.Md. June 13, 2022).
  • Represented defendant insurance agency in lawsuit brought by former employee alleging race discrimination and retaliation; motion for summary judgment granted in full on all counts dismissing entirety of case with prejudice. Faulkner v. Consolidated Insurance Center, Inc., Case No. 24-C-21-000998 (Md. Cir. Ct. Mar. 23, 2022).
  • Represented defendant aviation contractor and former executive in lawsuit by former employer claiming over $71 million in damages alleging breach of fiduciary duty, common law conspiracy, fraud, statutory conspiracy, tortious interference with business relationships and expectancies, conversion, defamation per se, and unjust enrichment; motion to dismiss granted on four counts and successfully limited remaining claims based on statute of limitations. NorthStar Aviation, LLC v. Alberto, 332 F. Supp. 3d 1007, 1014 (E.D. Va. 2018).
  • Defended government contractor and company owner in ownership dispute lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment and claiming over $5 million in damages alleging fraud, securities fraud, and conversion; demurrer granted without prejudice on three counts; plea in bar granted with prejudice on three counts. Johnson v. MBA Consulting Services, Inc., et al., Case No. CL 2017- 9199 (Va. Cir. Ct. 2018).
  • Represented plaintiff real estate firm in lawsuit against anonymous online poster seeking redress for claimed defamatory online reviews; successfully proceeded under Virginia’s unmasking statute to identify claimed online poster and brought claims for tortious interference, defamation, and unjust enrichment; successfully defeated dismissal motion. Optime Realty LLC v. Walsh, Civil Action No. 2017-1966 (Va. Cir. Ct. 2018).

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

  • Presenter, “What’s Next for Virginia Employers: Legal Risks and Opportunities in 2026,” NOVA SHRM Legal Academy, 2026
  • Author, “Title VII After Ames: The Supreme Court Unanimously Lowers the Barrier for Reverse Discrimination Claims,” 2025 Fall issue of Employment Practices Liability Consultant by International Risk Management Institute (IRMI)