At Smith & Myers, the Focus is You
We constantly think about how to get the best possible results for our clients. To successfully meet that challenge, we start by listening to you. It takes time, commitment, and hard work to learn about the legal issues facing you or your organization. We invest the time because cookie-cutter solutions do not focus on your legal issues, objectives, and expectations.
Because our analysis starts with understanding you or your company, we tailor strategies and advice to your particular needs. Because we have taken the time to build a relationship, we can look proactively for creative solutions that fit your situation. Because we know you or your company, we recognize the business impact, not just the legal effect, of our recommendations. But it all starts with our focus on you.
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Smith & Myers was founded in 2005 by Paul Smith and Thomas Myers, both former partners in prominent Los Angeles law firms. Both have been recognized as Southern California Super Lawyer®. Mr. Smith and Mr. Myers created a firm dedicated to achieving the best results for their clients by providing superb legal work in a cost-effective manner. Smith & Myers builds long-term relationships dedicated to you or your organization’s legal issues. As circumstances change, we update our advice so that our clients can continue to make prudent decisions.
Smith & Myers prides itself on providing its clients with experienced lawyers, efficient and cost-effective representation, superb work product, client involvement in all aspects of a matter, state-of-the-art technology, and prompt response to client inquiries.
Attorneys That Focus On You
Paul K. Smith
Paul heads the trusts and estates and the business transactions practices and has concentrated in these fields since forming his own firm in 1996.
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He represents business owners, entrepreneurs, and highly compensated executives with their trust and estate planning, business transactional work, and related litigation. He invests the time and commitment to foster long-term client relationships. Family-run and privately-held business clients come to depend on Paul’s consistent support and the benefits gained from a lawyer who understands the company’s regular legal needs. Paul received his MBA and JD degrees from USC in 1985, where he was selected as the Managing Editor for the Major Tax Planning and Computer Law Journals. He obtained his B.B.A. in Business from Loyola Marymount University. He acts as trusts and estates counsel for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and sits on the Archdiocesan Trusts and Estates Committee. Paul’s peers have recognized him since 2006 as a Super Lawyer®, awarded to the top five percent (5%) of lawyers as voted on by Los Angeles lawyers and published in Los Angeles Magazine. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell – the highest rating the legal professional rating service provides. AV is categorized as from very high to preeminent in legal ability and very high in ethical standards. He has served on the Boards of The Santa Marta Hospital Foundation, Loyola Marymount University Alumni Association, the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministry Council, St. Anastasia Finance Council, Arts & Education Committee, and Endowment Fund, and currently acts as Trustee for a large private estate. Paul is married with six children and enjoys coming to the office for a respite from the chaos. He is an avid fan of his kids’ sports teams and of college football, not necessarily in that order.
Thomas Myers
Tom is a graduate of the University of Rochester and the University of Southern California School of Law.
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Tom is admitted to all California state courts, the United States District Courts in California, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Tom specializes in employment law and insurance coverage. Tom represents businesses and individuals in all aspects of employment matters. He counsels clients regarding their policies on sexual harassment in the workplace, wage and hour rules, leaves of absence and workplace accommodations, discipline and termination issues, and avoiding workplace litigation. He also assists with the design and implementation of personnel practices and the drafting and negotiation of employment agreements. He also regularly litigates wrongful termination, harassment, and discrimination claims in state and federal court, as well as in alternative dispute forums such as mediation and arbitration. He has represented clients in jury and bench trials at the federal and state levels, which enables him to better advise clients early in the process regarding the prospects for settlement and the demands and challenges of trial should one be required. Tom also represents clients in all aspects of insurance coverage law, including advice, representation and litigation, declaratory relief actions, coverage opinions, insurance mediations, negotiation and counseling. Tom has helped resolve hundreds of difficult and complex insurance-related disputes, whether through trial, mediation, arbitration, or settlement. His practice involves most types of insurance policies. Tom also handles a variety of other litigation matters, including breach of contract, fiduciary duty, and fraud claims, construction disputes, and real estate disputes.
Yvonne Schwartz
Yvonne is a Southern California native who grew up in Burbank, California. She is the firm’s Office Manager, Billing Coordinator, and Legal Assistant and has been with the firm since its inception.
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He represents business owners, entrepreneurs, and highly compensated executives with their trust and estate planning, business transactional work, and related litigation. He invests the time and commitment to foster long-term client relationships. Family-run and privately-held business clients come to depend on Paul’s consistent support and the benefits gained from a lawyer who understands the company’s regular legal needs. Paul received his MBA and JD degrees from USC in 1985, where he was selected as the Managing Editor for the Major Tax Planning and Computer Law Journals. He obtained his B.B.A. in Business from Loyola Marymount University. He acts as trusts and estates counsel for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and sits on the Archdiocesan Trusts and Estates Committee. Paul’s peers have recognized him since 2006 as a Super Lawyer®, awarded to the top five percent (5%) of lawyers as voted on by Los Angeles lawyers and published in Los Angeles Magazine. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell – the highest rating the legal professional rating service provides. AV is categorized as from very high to preeminent in legal ability and very high in ethical standards. He has served on the Boards of The Santa Marta Hospital Foundation, Loyola Marymount University Alumni Association, the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministry Council, St. Anastasia Finance Council, Arts & Education Committee, and Endowment Fund, and currently acts as Trustee for a large private estate. Paul is married with six children and enjoys coming to the office for a respite from the chaos. He is an avid fan of his kids’ sports teams and of college football, not necessarily in that order.
Ashley St. Johns
After a decade of successful work in finance and management, Ashley chose the law as a second career.
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She did her undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, and then received her JD from the University of West Los Angeles. Ashley has practiced in the area of Trusts and Estates for more than 10 years, and prides herself on developing personal and long-lasting relationships with her clients. Ashley specializes in dealing with not only the practical but also the emotional aspects of planning for the future. Ashley spent a year as a volunteer prosecutor for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s criminal division, devoting herself to crimes involving domestic violence. Doing what many of us dream of doing, Ashley lived abroad for a year. A Los Angeles native and Malibu resident, Ashley enjoys sparking our office rivalries and, in her free time, travelling or running on the beach with her dog Izzy.