Damon Smith, former acting general counsel for HUD, has joined law firm Jenner & Block [1] as a partner in the group's District of Columbia office, according to an announcement.
Smith worked at HUD from June 2009 to January 2014, serving in that time as the agency's principal deputy general counsel, acting associate general counsel for insured housing, and senior counsel/special assistant to the general counsel. Throughout his tenure, he set and implemented HUD's litigation strategy and led reformation efforts for its multifamily loan closing documents as well as negotiations to resolve mortgage-related legal actions for both the primary and secondary markets.
Before joining HUD, Smith was a professor of property and local government law at Rutgers University. Prior to that, he worked as an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Arnold & Porter LLP.
As a member of Jenner & Block's Government Controversies and Public Policy Litigation and Real Estate Practices, Smith will have a chance to leverage his extensive knowledge of housing and consumer regulations impacting the current housing finance environment as well as his experience resolving controversies between the government and private parties.
"Damon's government service and knowledge of relevant housing and consumer regulations will be extremely beneficial to our clients," said Thomas J. Perrelli, chair of Jenner & Block's Government and Public Policy Litigation Practice. "He offers unique insight into industry changes that have occurred over the past several years, both in the market and in government regulation."