Aleksander W. Smolij practices in the area of litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Alek served as law clerk to the Hon. Richard A. Lloret of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Alek has represented clients in high-value disputes across various areas of commercial litigation and white-collar litigation and investigations. His commercial litigation experience includes the defense of shareholder derivative lawsuits and federal class actions. His white-collar experience includes expertise in the investigation and defense of blockchain and crypto enforcement matters brought by United States regulators.
Alek is a 2019 summa cum laude graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, where he was a Lead Research Editor for the Temple Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif, and a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University. While in law school, Alek interned with the Philadelphia Regional Office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
Education
- Temple University Beasley School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2019
- Lead Research Editor, Temple Law Review, Vol. 91
- Order of the Coif
- TASA Prize for Outstanding Performance in the Field of Evidence - The Pennsylvania State University, B.A., 2014
Experience
- Duane Morris LLP
- Associate, 2021-present - U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Law Clerk to the Hon. Richard A. Lloret, 2020-2021 - Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP
- Associate, 2019-2020
Representative Matters
Secured a complete victory in favor of Consolidated Rail Corporation and CSX Transportation, Inc. following a seven-day jury trial in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. The complaint was filed by a former Conrail and CSX employee who claimed that he developed kidney cancer as a result of alleged workplace exposures to asbestos and diesel exhaust during his thirty-two year railroad career. At trial, the team demonstrated that the plaintiff was never exposed to unsafe levels of either, and that his alleged exposures did not cause his cancer. After over three years of hard-fought litigation, the team secured a finding of zero liability.
Selected Publications
- Co-author, "The SEC and Its Continued Focus and Enforcement of “Greenwashing"" Lexology, April 17, 2023