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Mariel Smith, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP Photo

Mariel T. Smith

Associate / Boston

Overview

Mariel T. Smith is an associate in Nutter’s Litigation Department who represents clients in complex commercial disputes. She is a versatile litigator with a multifaceted practice that includes business litigation, real estate, land use and zoning, and construction-related disputes.

Mariel has developed significant experience across all phases of civil litigation in state court, including dispositive motion practice, fact and expert discovery, depositions, and alternative dispute resolution. She is often relied upon to manage discrete aspects of complex matters and regularly takes a lead role in drafting dispositive motions and shaping discovery strategy. She has also played a key role on trial teams, including second-chairing bench trials, and brings a practical, detail-oriented approach to case strategy and courtroom advocacy.

In her commercial litigation practice, Mariel represents clients in a wide range of business disputes, including contract and financial matters. In the real estate and construction context, she advises developers, property owners, landlords, and financial stakeholders in disputes involving permitting and zoning challenges, development projects, and tenancy-related issues. She works closely with clients to develop efficient, strategic solutions aligned with their legal and business objectives.

Notable Experience and Client Impact

  • Represented a real estate developer in successfully navigating a zoning and permitting challenge to an affordable housing development, helping to advance a complex, high-stakes project.
  • Represented a private equity firm in litigation arising from unrecovered financing extended to a real estate developer, involving significant financial and contractual issues.
  • Represented an individual in probate court in connection with a petition to remove trustees, addressing contested fiduciary and governance issues.
  • Represents former tenants in litigation to enforce contractual rights related to the development of affordable housing in the Boston area.
  • Represents a Boston-based landlord in a range of disputes involving tenancy, leasing, and related property issues.

Mariel also maintains an active pro bono practice, including work on immigration and affordable housing cases.

Prior to joining Nutter, Mariel served as a legal intern at the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) in the Child and Family Law Appellate Division in Boston. She researched and wrote policy-based memoranda distributed to the CPCS child and family law attorneys. In addition, she conducted moot courts and reviewed briefs to aid attorneys in preparing for oral advocacy. Mariel also worked as a legal assistant at a law firm in Greater Boston, where she researched issues including estate planning, real estate, and mental health proxy matters, and aided in trial preparation.

News & Insights

Publications

Honors

Honors

  • Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, "Up & Coming Lawyer," 2026
  • The Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch”, 2026

Education & Admissions

Education

Boston University School of Law, J.D., cum laude
University of Connecticut, M.A., summa cum laude
University of Connecticut, B.A., Honors Scholar, University Scholar, summa cum laude

Admissions

  • Massachusetts 

Before Nutter

Mariel served as a legal intern at the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) in the Child and Family Law Appellate Division in Boston.

In the Community

Mariel maintains an active pro bono practice, including work on immigration and affordable housing cases.

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