Gregory Smith

Gregory Smith is Senior Counsel for Vela Wood, with a practice focusing on real estate, corporate law and mergers and acquisitions. With a firm background in energy law including the renewables sector, Gregory has a substantial transactional knowledge foundation. Gregory is a 2020 and 2021 Super Lawyers Rising Star and a Texas Bar Foundation Life Fellow.

After receiving an honors degree from Saint Louis University, Gregory headed south by southwest– to Austin where he attended the University of Texas School of Law. There he was an editor for the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas and Energy Law and attended Queen Mary University for a study abroad program. Before joining Vela Wood, Gregory worked in the energy sector for many years, handling a range of matters for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small independent businesses. Adept in all energy sector transactions, it was during this time, Gregory served as in house counsel for a company who sold their primary assets (located in Martin County, Texas) at the largest price per acre metric ever seen in a private sale -totaling nearly six hundred million dollars. Gregory has ample experience assisting companies as both in house counsel and working for private law firms in matters ranging from real estate to corporate issues.

As a result of his diversifying practice, he has recently been asked to serve on a board for the AAPL, drafting form agreements for renewable energy development in the State of Texas. Bringing this experience to Vela Wood, Gregory hopes to further develop his transactional practice by continuing to assist companies and individuals with their transactional needs.

Gregory has a wide range of community involvements serving currently as the President of the Board of Directors of Casa de Amigos, a West Texas based non-profit that provides food, clothing, shelter, health care and senior services to underserved Latino communities in West Texas. He also currently serves on the board of directors for a large symphony in West Texas.

In his free time, Gregory is an avid fly fisherman and also enjoys skiing, birding, traveling, and barbecuing. He is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals and has two wonderful daughters, Geneva and Cecily.