• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP

News/Events

Press Releases | April 7, 2017

John Smart Joins Bell Nunnally as Partner

Bolsters Firm’s Labor and Employment and Immigration Practices

John D. Smart has joined Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP as a partner in its Labor, Employment and Benefits; Immigration; and Litigation practice areas. Smart comes to the firm from Winstead PC’s Dallas office, where he was a shareholder. His experience also includes four years as a member of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps, including two years as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

“John strengthens our labor and employment practice and complements its resources with his immigration experience, enabling us to provide a full-suite of management-side offerings,” said James Skochdopole, managing partner of Bell Nunnally.

Smart represents employers in traditional labor, employment and immigration matters. Board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, he has first-chair experience litigating cases involving Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Smart also routinely advises on and litigates claims alleging: unfair competition; violations of non-competition and employment agreements; and defamation, tortious interference with contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress and other tort actions. He also regularly reviews employment and severance agreements, employee handbooks and personnel policies.

Smart’s immigration experience extends to obtaining both immigrant and non-immigrant visas for foreign employees and stakeholders, including those involved in specialty occupations, part of intracompany transfers, tapped to be executives and managers, and involved as treaty and trade investors. He routinely files and shepherds through the approval process visa petitions for H-1B, L-1, E, J, O, P and TN; blanket petitions; labor certification; and permanent residency.

Smart has been selected by his peers as a “Texas Super Lawyer” five times. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law (J.D., with highest honors, 1987) and Vanderbilt University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1984).

Media Contact:
Katherine Krause
Marketing Coordinator
kkrause@bellnunnally.com
214-880-6661

Primary Sidebar

Related Attorneys

  • John D. Smart

    John D. Smart

    Partner

    jsmart@bellnunnally.com
    214-740-1475

Related Practices

  • Immigration
  • Labor and Employment
  • Litigation
Stay in the know...
Don’t miss anything — Subscribe to our email list!
2323 Ross Avenue, Suite 1900, Dallas, Texas 75201 | 214.740.1400
© 2025 Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP All Rights Reserved
  • Sitemap
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Client Pay
legalink logo Site by
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • People
  • Practices
  • Industries
  • News/Events
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Clients
  • Careers
  • Client Pay