DALLAS, TX, November 4, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ted Smith has been recognized for achievement in law.

Mr. Smith currently serves as senior counsel for mergers and acquisitions at Sun Holdings in Dallas, a role he has held since May of 2026. With two decades of experience in law, he is recognized as an expert in mergers and acquisitions, general corporate law, private equity and securities. At Sun Holdings, Mr. Smith oversees the purchase and sale of assets throughout the hospitality industry, including restaurant chains, hotels and franchise restaurants. His responsibilities also include managing the company's corporate entities to ensure good standing, structuring proper relationships among those entities and conducting extensive corporate cleanup. In addition to these core duties, he drafts and negotiates a wide range of vendor agreements, including marketing and sponsorship contracts—such as a recent contract for Austin City Limits involving Freebirds, a Sun Holdings restaurant brand.

Before joining Sun Holdings, Mr. Smith spent approximately nine years as an attorney at Stewart & Bonnet, LLP in Dallas from 2015 to 2024. There, he handled mergers and acquisitions, securities, private equity, and real estate matters for a diverse client base that included hemp and medical device companies, food service providers, precious metals dealers, real estate developers, and inventors across various industries. His work involved preparing private placement memoranda under Regulation D, Rule 506; assisting clients with capital-raising efforts; and navigating complex legal issues related to intellectual property, employment contracts and real estate leases.

From 2012 to 2015, Mr. Smith operated his own practice as an attorney at The Law Office of Terry Edward "Ted" Smith, PLLC in Dallas. As a solo practitioner for approximately three and a half years, he managed a broad range of mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions and securities matters. This period allowed him greater control over his professional life while deepening his expertise across multiple legal disciplines.

Prior to establishing his own firm, Mr. Smith worked at Freeman Mills PC in Dallas from 2010 to 2012. His primary focus was preparing title opinions for oil and gas properties; however, he also handled major transactions, including the $27 million sale of a sand pit in Mississippi. Earlier roles included serving as an attorney at Timothy R. Ploch, P.C., Houston, from 2009 to 2010, where he broadened his experience beyond midstream natural gas work into wider corporate matters.

Mr. Smith's tenure at Hunton & Williams LLP in Dallas from 2008 to 2009 focused on energy and project finance in the midstream natural gas sector—including gas gathering, processing and transportation—before he decided to diversify his practice further. His legal career began at Dorado Exploration Inc. in Dallas from 2005 to 2008, where he served as in-house counsel for a startup oil and gas company and managed exploration and production work involving acquisitions, divestitures and oil well transactions.

Mr. Smith's academic background has shaped his legal career. He earned a Juris Doctor cum laude from Texas Tech University School of Law in Lubbock in 2005 and, that same year, completed a Master of Business Administration summa cum laude from Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University through an accelerated joint program completed in three years. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from Texas A&M University in College Station in 2002. During law school, Mr. Smith received jurisprudence awards in oil and gas and evidence—recognitions that underscored his early commitment to excellence.

The State Bar of Texas has licensed him to practice law in Texas since 2005. Induction into Beta Gamma Sigma further attests to his academic distinction; this honor society recognizes students ranking among the top ten percent of their class.

A commitment to continuous learning has been central to Mr. Smith's professional philosophy. He attributes his success to self-directed study and an ongoing pursuit of new knowledge—qualities that have enabled him to adapt across industries and excel in highly specialized areas of law.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Mr. Smith dedicated one and a half years as a full-time resident volunteer with Samaritan Ministries of Hot Springs Inc., Arkansas, from 2024 to 2026. In this role, he built furniture for sale to generate revenue for the shelter while assisting residents with daily needs, including medication management and mobility support.

Born in Dallas, Mr. Smith enjoys exercising, watching college football and spending time with friends and family outside of work. Looking ahead, he aims to deepen his understanding of the hospitality industry's unique legal challenges while continuing to develop expertise in mergers and acquisitions—ultimately aspiring to a role as a general counsel.

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