Steven Smith

Steven Smith is the managing shareholder at Smith LC, focusing on civil litigation, and representing diverse businesses, franchisees and franchisors, and a variety of medium and small business owners. Mr. Smith has extensive litigation and trial experience in matters of breach of contract, fraud, real estate development, construction, personal injury, and intellectual property. Mr. Smith also provides advice and representation on business transactions, contracts, investments, personal financial planning, estate planning, and all aspects of real estate transactions. Mr. Smith is a distinguished litigator.

He has spent a large portion of his career inside the courtroom, where he has achieved great success for his clients. He has tried cases in California, Utah, Montana, Florida, the Marshall Islands, and been involved as lead counsel in dozens of cases in other states as well.

Some of his recent accomplishments include a $16.3 million jury verdict in a products liability claim, a $7 million jury verdict for a franchise breach of contract, a $1.5 million jury verdict in a wrongful termination case, $10.3 million settlement during trial on an assignment of a bad faith insurance claim, and a $6 million trial judgment on a disputed ownership of corporate stock claim.

Mr. Smith has also achieved defense verdicts, plus costs, on a $6 million products liability claim, a $15 million breach of contract claim against an international bank, a $10 million breach of contract claim on a licensing agreement, and a $3.5 million wrongful termination case. He has also successfully defended against a $400 million claim alleging violation of the trade secrets act and tort claims, and an $80 million trust/estate claim. Mr. Smith also favorably settled a $120 million legal malpractice claim for a client.

Mr. Smith obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture, graduating with honors from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo in 1981. He received a Juris Doctorate degree, cum laude, from the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at Brigham Young University in 1984, where he was also the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award in Real Estate Transactions, Real Estate Finance, Computer Uses, and Accounting for Lawyers.

From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Smith was as a member of the California State Bar Standing Committee, Business Law Section, on the Limited Liability Company Subcommittee. Mr. Smith has served from 2008 to the present as a member of the California State Bar Standing Committee on CACI Civil Jury Instruction. Mr. Smith has also served as Judge Pro Tem for the Orange County Superior Court.