Mr. Bruce A. Smith, Private Law Practice

If you were looking to hire a lawyer to assist you in your claim against an insurance company or a big corporation, it would be invaluable to have a lawyer who spent years working for those companies and understood their mindset and thought process. That is what you get with Bruce Smith. Mr. Smith spent 20 years working for and defending insurance carriers and corporations in lawsuits filed against them and their insureds. As a part of that process, Mr. Smith evaluated those cases in order to recommend settlement authority and to make recommendations on the best way to resolve a case. That is a unique and rare perspective that few trial lawyers possess who represent Plaintiffs.

Johnny Ward recognized the abilities and talents of Mr. Smith through their years of working against one another in personal injury cases. Mr. Ward decided he would rather have Mr. Smith working with him rather than against him. In 2006, Mr. Smith joined Mr. Ward in the practice of law, and shortly thereafter, the firm of Ward & Smith was formed.

There are many lawyers who claim to be "trial lawyers", but few of them truly have trial experience. Since 1986, Mr. Smith has tried in excess of 50 cases to verdict. Most of those cases were tried while Mr. Smith was working for insurance carriers and corporations. He was highly successful in those cases, many resulting in complete defense verdicts for his client. Once he began representing Plaintiffs along with Mr. Ward, his success in the courtroom continued. In his first jury trial after Ward & Smith was formed, Mr. Smith obtained a $5.0 million verdict for his client.

In 1992, Mr. Smith became board certified in personal injury trial law. In order to qualify to become board certified, a lawyer is required to have a minimum of 5 years of legal experience with a required number of actual trials. Mr. Smith qualified to sit for the board certification examination immediately upon completion of his 5th year of practice and passed the written examination at the first opportunity offered by the State Bar upon being qualified to sit for the examination. He has been re-certified in 1997, 2002 and 2007. The distinction of board certification in personal injury trial law is held by fewer that 3% of licensed attorneys. Mr. Smith was further recognized and selected by his peers as a Texas Super Lawyer in 2008 and 2009, and he maintains an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Ward & Smith are qualified to handle all of your litigation needs, big or small. If you are in need of a trial attorney, you should take advantage of the unique skills and perspectives of Bruce Smith, Johnny Ward and the Ward & Smith firm.

• Likes v. City of Tyler 1997

• Light v. Centel Cellular 1994