Leslie M. Smith

Leslie M. Smith is a Partner at Dentons, practicing in the Corporate group and serving as Chair of the Dentons Bingham Greenebaum Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Executive Committee. She concentrates on mergers and acquisitions, finance, real estate, and corporate law.

Leslie represents buyers and sellers in M&A transactions with a focus on private equity for middle‑market companies, handling stock and asset acquisitions, mergers, and reorganizations. Notable matters include advising a UK private equity fund on the acquisition of bathroom remodeling companies, acting as buyer's counsel for an international steel company in a $60 million cross‑border acquisition, and serving as seller's counsel on an $82 million sale in the cargo and harbor services industry. She also represents institutional clients and lenders in complex financing transactions, including representing Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in multiple investment financings and advising on a $475 million mortgage portfolio. She serves as outside general counsel for corporate clients on day‑to‑day commercial and transactional matters.

She holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and a B.A. in Sociology from George Mason University. She is admitted to practice in Indiana and Florida.

Leslie has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in Corporate Law (2023–2026), was a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow (Class of 2021), and was named a Top Ten Finalist in Indy's Best and Brightest in Law (2017).