G. David Smith

Bar / Professional Activity

• Member, State Bar College, 2023
• Elected State Bar of Texas President Elect., 2025
• Sustaining Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, 2023
• President, Rockwall County Bar Association, 2006
• State Bar of Texas Board of Directors, Director from District 1., 2021
• U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 1983
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 1983
• Member, Texas Trial Lawyers Association
• Texas, 1983
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 1983

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

• Explosion case settlement for confidential amount.  Smith & Lee represented the estate of a gentleman severely injured in an gas explosion who later died of his injuries., 2010
• Auto collision.  Fractured neck vertebrae, no paralysis with no surgery.  $310,000.00., 2022
• Motorcycle-truck collision, wrongful death, settled for a confidential amount., 2019
• See firm website
• Rear end auto collision settled for $265,000.00., 2018
• Electrocution case settled for confidential amount., 2017

Representative Clients

• Motorcycle collision, wrongful death, settled for confidential amount., 2019
• We assist people in need of help.  Victims of negligence are our clients. 

Special Licenses / Certifications

• Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  Recertified continuously since 1990., 1990

Pro bono / Community Service

• Director, Rockwall Grace Center for Family and Community Development d/ba Grace Clinic.
• Past SPRC Chair, First United Methodist Church of Rockwall
• Treasurer/Board Member, Rockwall County Housing Development Corporation
• Chairman, City of Rockwall Board of Adjustments

Educational Background

• G. David Smith graduated from Muleshoe High School in 1976.  He attended college in Odessa, Texas at both Odessa College and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, from which he graduated with honors.  Smith attended law school at Texas Tech University and graduated with a Juris Doctor Degree in 1983.  Smith became Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law in 1990.
• Trained as a mediator in 1996 by the Attorney Mediator's Institute.  Mr. Sid Stahl, a leader in the field of mediation, provided David Smith's training., 1996-2024

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

• Presentation to local bar associations regarding how to prepare for and participate in a mediation., Presenter, 10 Things That Will Keep Your Case From Settling at Mediation, 2023
• Presentation and paper on mediation strategies., Author/presenter, Time Out: Settle Your Case, Texas Bar CLE Advanced Personal Injury Trial Seminar, 2024
• Paper on a presentation regarding Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist coverage and litigation on claims related to such coverage., Co-Author, UIM Coverage Issues, Texas Bar CLE Trucking and Auto Collision Litigation, 2023
• Presentation for the Rockwall Bar Association , Presenter, What Your State Bar Does for You, 2021
• Presentation at the Rockwall Bar Association regarding TCPRC 18.001 and other damage proof issues., Presenter, Changes Regarding Proof of Damages and Evidence, 2021

• Victims Of Negligence

“There really isn't a way to express David's importance to my legal career and growth as a lawyer. However, that is not the reason he deserves this nomination. Though I can't thank him enough for how much he has helped me, I think this is just as true for countless numbers of his clients, other lawyers, and people in his community. David tells his clients that their case belongs to them he is here to help in any way. I have never heard of anyone so willing to reduce his fees just to help his clients achieve a just result. In addition, he finds the time to sit on two non-profit boards that provide housing and medical care to those in need. I know that doesn't fall in the range of the practice of personal injury law, but it speaks to the compassion that he brings to every aspect of his life and practice.”

“Dave is my partner, my mentor, and my closest confidant. I would be lost without him in this practice. It isn't just his depth of knowledge that makes him a great lawyer, it's his passion for our community and his tireless hours working for various non-profit organizations or just those who need help and can't pay. I know he doesn't track his pro-bono hours, and never submits them for any recognition because he believes deeply it is just his obligation as a lawyer and a good person. He deserves the moniker super more than perhaps anyone I know. ”

“I have had the privilege and honor of working for and with Dave for 11 years. No lawyer I have met brings his unique brand of compassion, humor, and knowledge to each and every situation. He will drop anything to help a client, a friend, or a fellow lawyer, even when that means extra hours at the office or loss of precious vacation time. He is on the board of multiple local non-profit organizations. He assists the underprivileged in Rockwall with Housing and Medical care. He is a giant in the courtroom and out. He is now and will always be a Super Lawyer.”

“Dave is my partner, my mentor, my sounding board, advisor, and friend. He dedicates his days to helping others through his many civic engagements with non-profits, community work, pro-bono work, and his regular practice. I could not ask for a better exemplar of how to practice law and life a life that is engaging and reqarding for ones self and ones community.”

“David is a long time lawyer and this shows in how he approaches cases and how he resolves them. He is a hard fighter and the best guy to have on your side as either a client or co counsel. He has an inherent ability to read the room and the jury. He knows where to hit hardest and when to slam if home or ease off, something you can't teach. He is also a lawyer that opposing counsel trust and respect.”

“David has been my mentor for over 8 years, but he also mentors attorneys outside of the firm and makes himself available to everyone. He is also locally very active in many charitable organizations and a great example of the legal profession to the community. He always seems to be able to solve problems and think creatively and get the hard cases won.”

“G. David Smith has been my mentor for the last seven years. He is not just committed to practicing law with knowledge and compassion, but with ethics and integrity. I have seen him provide free advice, reduce fee's, and take on cases that no one else would take because it was simply the right thing to do. He is tenacious and simultaneously respectful in and out of the courtroom and is a credit to the highest aspirations of our profession.”