Reed Smith LLP is a global law firm with more than 1,500 lawyers in 30 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Knox and Reed successfully argued that the dam's failure was a natural disaster which was an Act of God, and no legal compensation was paid to the survivors of the flood.

[8] The perceived injustice aided the acceptance of "strict, joint, and several liability," so that a "non-negligent defendant could be held liable for damage caused by the unnatural use of land.

Reed Smith opened new offices in New York and New Jersey in the 1990s and acquired a Northern Virginia firm, Hazel & Thomas.

Acquiring the UK law firm Warner Cranston turned Reed Smith transatlantic in 2001 and it opened offices in Paris and Munich four years later.

[5] In 2007 Reed Smith merged with UK law firm, Richards Butler, which added offices in France, Greece, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

[17] On April 30, 2018, Reed Smith hired Lewis Zirogiannis (General Electric's former chief compliance officer) as a partner for its global regulatory enforcement practice in San Francisco.

[18] In 2018, Reed Smith hired 14 lawyers from competitor Norton Rose Fulbright and added a new office in Austin, Texas.