Baltimore Partner Cy Smith Named to Maryland Daily Record’s Business Law Power List
Zuckerman Spaeder is pleased to announce that Baltimore partner Cy Smith has been named to the Maryland Daily Record’s Business Law Power List. This recognition celebrates Mr. Smith’s significant contributions to the legal landscape, particularly within Maryland’s business and employment law sectors, and to the community.
Mr. Smith is a seasoned litigator with three decades of experience and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. His practice primarily focuses on representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation across an array of industries, including financial services and healthcare.
Several of Cy’s recent cases have made national headlines and led to far-reaching outcomes. In one, he represented Black NFL retirees in a groundbreaking lawsuit against a league benefits policy that applied different sets of data when assessing the cognitive function of Black and White ex-players. His work led to the elimination of the policy and to new benefits for thousands of Black retirees, and it sparked a national conversation on the practice of “race-norming.” Cy also played a key role in the massive antitrust litigation against Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurers, which led to an historic $2.7 billion settlement.
Reflecting on the work that earned him a spot on the Power List, Mr. Smith said, “The most important thing I do is tell compelling stories, based on the facts, that explain my client and the problem I am trying to solve for them. Whether I represent an NFL player disabled by concussions, a state government, or a Fortune 100 company, my job is to make sure that someone else, whether it’s a judge, a jury, a board of directors or even my adversary, understands the stakes of the dispute and why my client deserves better.”
Beyond his legal achievements, Mr. Smith is deeply engaged in community endeavors. He notably led a multimillion-dollar capital campaign for Beth Am Synagogue in Baltimore’s historic Reservoir Hill neighborhood, where he previously served as president.
Mr. Smith and the others included on the list were handpicked by the Maryland Daily Record’s editorial leadership team, with input from readers and legal professionals. The outlet says that their Power List series “showcases Maryland’s power players who are leading key organizations, creating change, impacting the community and engaging others to succeed.”