Photo: J. Albert Diaz/ALM

Philadelphia trial lawyer Keith E. Smith has jumped to Greenberg Traurig from Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, his new firm announced Wednesday.

Smith, who spent nine years at Eckert Seamans, focuses his practice on national class actions, commercial litigation and products liability, representing corporate clients. He said he got to know lawyers at Greenberg Traurig through representing co-defendants.

“I have a lot of belief that I'll be able to grow that practice here from a geographic perspective,” Smith said.

He was also one of several lawyers who represented the Office of Attorney General and former state AG Kathleen Kane in civil suits brought by employees of the office, while Kane was also facing criminal charges.

After joining the firm about four weeks ago, Smith said, he has already worked with lawyers in Denver, Boston and New York. Having lawyers already on the ground around the country at Greenberg Traurig means he can more easily focus on big-picture strategy in his practice, he said.

“Keith brings real synergies to the office's litigation and environmental practices,” Philadelphia partners Michael Lehr and Curtis Toll said in a statement. “He is currently serving as national counsel for a large industrial manufacturer of fire-fighting foam alleged to contain perfluorinated compounds, which the EPA has designated as emerging contaminants, and as class action counsel for a Global 200 conglomerate in advertising and labeling litigation.”

Smith represents National Foam Inc., according to court records, in several cases involving PFC-related claims. Co-defendants in those cases include 3M Co., which reportedly reached a $850 million settlement this week as trial approached in a suit brought by the state of Minnesota, demanding $5 billion in damages.

Perflourinated compounds have been a growing area of litigation, Smith said, and played a role in his decision to move. In his practice, he currently has nearly 20 cases dealing with PFC, he said.

“With more than 80 class action lawyers at Greenberg Traurig … I knew I'd have the right team in place to take on the PFC litigation,” he said.

Smith said he brought almost all of his ongoing matters with him to Greenberg Traurig. His new firm has a flexible approach to rates, he said, so it was not too much of an adjustment for his clients.

Eckert Seamans declined to comment on Smith's departure.