Practice Areas: Criminal Defense; view more
Licensed in Texas since: 2001
Education: Texas Wesleyan University School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2024 Call today:
903-893-8177
Wynne, Smith & Young, PLLC
707 West Washington StreetSherman, TX 75092 Visit website
Details
John Hunter Smith is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Smith has successfully defended numerous professionals, law enforcement officials, and others accused of state and federal crimes. Mr. Smith has earned a reputation as a tenacious trial lawyer who gets results. Mr. Smith serves as First Vice-President on the Executive Committee of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Mr. Smith has previously served on the District 1-A Grievance Committee from 2007 to 2013, where he served as Chair for two years. Mr. Smith is a graduate of Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College. In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Smith is a frequent lecturer for continuing legal education programs throughout the State of Texas.
Practice areas
Criminal DefenseFocus areas
Assault & Battery, Criminal Domestic Violence, Criminal Fraud, Criminal Law, Drug & Alcohol Violations, Expungement, Felony, Misdemeanor, Motor Vehicle Offenses, Murder, Probation, Sex Offenses, Tax Evasion, Theft
- 100% Criminal Defense
First Admitted: 2001, Texas
Professional Webpage: https://wynnesmithlaw.com/attorneys/john-hunter-smith/
Honors/Awards:
- 2014 through 2022, Top Rated Lawyer, Texas Lawyer
- 2013 through 2022, AV Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
- 2013 through 2019, Top 100 Trial Lawyers - Criminal Defense, National Trial Lawyers Association
Educational Background:
- Auburn University - Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, 1997
- Gerry Spence - Trial Lawyers College, 2012
- Texas Wesleyan University School of Law - Juris Doctor, 2001
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Board Certified In Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2008
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Second Vice President - Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2020
- President - Elect - Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer Association, 2022
- First Vice-President - Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2021
- Chair, Criminal Defense Lawyers Project, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2016
- Treasure - Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2019
- State Bar of Texas, District 1A Grievance Committee. (Chair, 2011-2013).
- Member - Grayson County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
- Secretary - Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2018
- Member, Budget Committee, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2016
- Super Fellow - Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Educational Institute.
- Member - Criminal Trial Lawyers Association.
- The College of the State Bar of Texas.
- U.S. District Court - Northern District of Texas.
- Lifetime Member - 82nd Airborne Association.
- Chair, Veterans Assistance Committee, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2016
- Board of Directors - Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA), (Board Member)., 2013
- Member - Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- Member - National Trial Lawyers Association.
- Member - Ranch Club, Trial Lawyers College.
- U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Texas.
- Lifetime Member - U.S. Army Ranger Association.
- Chair, Prosecutorial Integrity Committee, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2018
- Fellow - Texas Bar Foundation
- Member - Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- Member - National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Criminal Defense Trial Skills & Trial Law Program; Center for American and International Law, Plano, Texas, Presenter and Faculty, Jury Selection, 2021
- TCDLA - Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law Course - June 2022 - San Antonio, Texas, Presenter, Handling Complex Assault Cases, 2022
- Criminal Defense Trial Skills and Trial Law Program; Center for American and International Law, Plano Texas, Presenter and Faculty, Jury Selection, 2022
- TCDLA, Houston, Texas, Course Director/Faculty, Voir Dire, 2022
- TCDLA, Game Day Ready, Longview, Texas , Speaker, Jury Selection, 2022
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association - Cross Examination Seminar, Round Rock, Texas, Presenter, Ethics, 2021
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association - 44th Annual Tim Evans Criminal Trial College, Huntsville, Texas, Presenter and Faculty, Closing Argument, 2021
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers - Battling The Resistance, Galveston, Texas, Presenter, Jury Selection, 2021
- TCDLA - Making Of A Warrior, Austin, Texas, Speaker, Tips to Obtain and Utilizing Expert Witnesses, 2020
- TCDLA - Battling The Resistance; McKinney, Texas , Presenter and Course Director, Opening Statements, 2021
- 25th Annual Civil & Criminal Trial Practice; El Paso Bar Association; El Paso, Texas, Presenter, Jury Selection, 2020
- 17th Annual Criminal Defense Trial Skills & Trial Law Program, Center For American and International Law, Plano, Texas., Presenter, Ethical Issues In The Practice Of Law, 2020
- TCDLA - 13th Annual DWI Defense Project; May 1, 2020, Speaker, Jury Selection - Intoxicated Offense Cases, 2020
- 2019 -Criminal Defense Trial Skills & Trial Law Program; Center for American International Law; Plano, Texas, Speaker, Mitigation, 2019
- TCDLA - Defending Those Accused Of Sexual Offenses, Dallas, Texas, Speaker, Ethics & Social Media - 20 Essential Tips For The Dark Horse, 2019
- TCDLA - Defense: We Make Champions, McAllen, Texas., Speaker, Jury Selection and Opening Statements, 2019
- TCDLA - Defense: We Make Champions - Longview, Texas, Speaker, Jury Selection and Opening Statements, 2019
- TCDLA - Voir Dire, Austin, Texas, Speaker/Course Director, Beyond A Reasonable Doubt, 2019
- TCDLA - Come and Take It; El Paso, Texas, Speaker, Opening Statement/Closing Argument, 2019
- 2019 - Criminal Defense Trial Skills & Trial Law Program; Center for American and International Law, Plano, Texas, Speaker, Ethics, 2019
- TCDLA - Sexual Assault Seminar, Fort Worth, Texas, Speaker, The Changing Landscape of Ethics for the Criminal Defense Lawyer, 2018
- TCDLA - 12th Annual DWI Defense Seminar, Richardson, Texas, Speaker, Cross-Examination of Blood Test Expert, 2019
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Faculty, 43rd Annual Tim Evans Texas Criminal Trial College, Huntsville, Texas, 2019
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association; 38th Annual Prairie Dog Seminar; Lubbock, Texas,, Speaker/Presenter, Ethics, 2019
- Come And Take It; Texarkana, Texas, Speaker, Opening Statement/Closing Argument, 2019
- TCDLA - 9th Annual Jolly Roger, Hal Jackson Memorial Criminal Law Seminar, Speaker - Consequences of Criminal Convictions, Lewisville, Texas, 2016
- Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association., Cross Examination - Child Witness, 2013
- TCDLA - Beating the Drum for Justice, Course Director, Laredo, Texas, 2016
- The Center For American And International Law - Jury Selection - Ethics, 2014
- TCDLA - Beating the Drum for Justice, Course Director, Speaker - Ethics, McKinney, Texas., 2017
- TCDLA - Trial Strategies That Work - Waco, Texas - Ethics, 2014
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association/State Bar Of Texas; Course Director/Speaker - Ethics; Veterans Justice Clinic, Dallas, Texas, 2017
- TCDLA - Training Your Defense Team To Win - South Padre Island, Texas, Ethics, 2015
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association; Speaker - Cross & Direct Examination; Tim Evans Texas Criminal Trial College, 2017
- TCDLA - Trial Strategies That Work - Tyler, Texas - Pre-Trial Motions, 2014
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 37th Annual Praire Dog Criminal Law Seminar, Lubbock, Texas, Speaker, Put Some Shine On A Rainy Day: Mitigation, 2018
- TCDLA - Trial Strategies That Work - Beaumont, Texas - Pre-Trial Investigations, 2014
- Ethics, Jury Selection & Communicating With Jurors In Criminal Cases, The Center for American and International Law, 2017
- TCDLA - 27th Annual Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law, San Antonio, Texas - Trial Techniques, 2014
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Course Director, Beating The Drum For Justice - Wichita Falls, Texas, 2017
- TCDLA - Upholding Justice One Client At A Time - Amarillo, Texas, Course Director, 2015
- Grayson County Bar Association, Speaker, Jury Selection, 2017
- The Center For American And International Law., Faculty/Speaker (Ethics), Criminal Defense Trial Skills And Trial Law Program, 2014
- TCDLA - Beating The Drum For Justice, Course Director, South Padre Island, Texas, 2017
- TCDLA - Trial Strategies That Work - South Padre Island, Texas - Ethics, 2014
- Faculty, 40th Annual Texas Criminal Trial College, 2016
- Faculty/Ethics - Speaker, Criminal Defense Trial Skills and Trial Law Program, Center For American and International Law, 2017
- TCDLA - Training Your Defense Team To Win - Galveston, Texas, Michael Morton Act, 2014
- Course Director/ Jury Selection - Speaker, Succesfully Defending Child Abuse Cases, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2017
- TCDLA - 7th Annual Jolly Roger Criminal Law Seminar - Lewisville, Texas - Opening Statements , 2014
- TCDLA, Unleashing Your Inner Beast: Defending Those Accused, Waco, Texas, Speaker, Opening Statement/Closing Argument, 2018
- TCDLA - Training Your Defense Team To Win - Austin, Texas, Michael Morton Act, 2015
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, South Padre Island, Texas, Course Director, Mental Health Seminar, 2018
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association/State Bar of Texas - Dallas, Texas, Representation Of Military Veteran In A Criminal Case, 2016
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Course Director/Speaker, Representing Military Veterans In Criminal Cases, Austin, Texas, 2018
- Jury Selection & Communicating With Jurors In Criminal Cases, The Center for American and International Law., Ethics, 2015
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, President's Trip - Criminal Law CLE, Napa, California, Speaker, Dealing With The Stress Of Trial, 2018
- TCDLA - Training Your Defense Team To Win - Longview, Texas, Michael Morton Act, 2015
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Anatomy of a Trial, "Dealing With The Stress Of Trial," Houston, Texas, 2018
- TCDLA - 42nd Annual Tim Evans Texas Criminal Trial College; Faculty; Huntsville, Texas, 2018
- TCDLA - 28th Annual Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law, San Antonio, Texas - Representing Military Service Veterans In A Criminal Case, 2015
- The Center For American And International Law, Jury Selection & Communicating With Jurors - A Program For The Defense, Plano, Texas, Presenter, Dealing With The Stress Of Trial, 2018
- Speaker -Ethics/Faculty, Criminal Defense Trial Skills and Trial Law Program, Center For American and International Law, 2015
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Train The Trainers, South Padre Island, Texas, Presenter, Fight The Good Fight, 2018
- TCDLA - Course Director/Speaker - Child Physical Abuse and Child Death Cases, Successfully Defending Child Physical Abuse and Child Death Cases, 2015
- Criminal Defense Trial Skills & Trial Law Program, Center for American and International Law, Plano, Texas, Faculty/Speaker, Essential Pre-Trial Motions, 2018
- TCDLA - Upholding Justice One Client At A Time - San Angelo, Texas, Course Director/Speaker, Search & Seizure, 2015
- TCDLA - Upholding Justice One Client At A Time - Laredo, Texas, Speaker/Course Director, Collateral Consequences Of A Criminal Conviction, 2015
- Grayson County Community College., Criminal Law Overview, 2010
- TCDLA - 35th Annual Prairie Dog Advanced Criminal Law, Texas Tech School of Law, Lubbock, Texas, Ethics, 2016
- The Center For American And International Law., Jury Selection - Child Abuse Cases, 2012
- Jury Selection & Communicating With Jurors, The Center For American and International Law, Ethics, 2016
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 31st Annual Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law Seminar, Legal Ethics In Social Media: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, San Antonio, Texas, Course Director/Speaker, 2018
- TCDLA - Upholding Justice One Client At A Time, Texarkana, Texas, Course Director/Ethics, 2016
- The Center For American And International Law., Jury Selection - Child Abuse Cases, 2013
- TCDLA - Train The Trainers , South Padre Island, Texas, Course Director, 2016
- TCDLA - Trial Strategies That Work - Amarillo, Texas., Ethics, 2013
- TCDLA - Upholding Justice One Client At A Time, Course Director, South Padre Island, Texas, 2016
- TCDLA - Trial Strategies That Work - Sugar Land, Texas., Ethics, 2013
- The Center For American And International Law., Speaker - Closing Argument and Ethics/Faculty, Criminal Defense Trial Skills And Trial Law Program, 2016
- The Center For American And International Law., Faculty, Criminal Defense Trial Skills And Trial Law Program, 2013
- TCDLA - Beating the Drum for Justice, Course Director, Corpus Christi, Texas, 2016
- Grayson County Bar Association, Ethics, 2016
- TCDLA - Gideons Trumpet - Wichita Falls, Texas., Cross Examination - Child Witness, 2013
- TCDLA - Beating the Drum for Justice, Course Director, Speaker - Jury Selection, McAllen, Texas, 2016
- TCDLA - Gideons Trumpet - South Padre Island, Texas., Jury Selection, 2013
- TCDLA - Beating the Drum for Justice, Course Director, Speaker - Jury Selection, Galveston, Texas, 2016
- TCDLA - Gideons Trumpet - Sugar Land, Texas., Cross Examination - Child Witness, 2012
Other Outstanding Achievements:
- Avvo.com - Rated 10.0/10 "Superb", 2022
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Collin County Veterans Court Team, 2022
- Pro Bono Legal Services to the Grayson County Crisis Center.
- Team Member - STAR Family Drug Court
Industry Groups:
- Criminal Defense (State & Federal)
These comments were made by fellow attorneys during the annual nomination process.
“Best criminal defense attorney in Grayson County.”
“John Hunter Smith is one of the best criminal trial lawyers I know. If I have a tough case, he is one of the handful of attorneys I go to for help. ”
“John is one of those unique individuals that is incredibly compassionate to his clients and relentless in his defense of the accused. John is a superb lawyer with tremendous talent. His clients are lucky to have him on their side.”
“I have been co-counsel with John Hunter Smith on several cases from misdemeanors to felonies. I have served with him on the board of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Without hesitation, he is exceptional in every area.”
“one of the best all around lawyers and genuinely nice person”
“Great trial partner and warrior. He won't back down. Most knowledgeable about ethical issues lawyers face and very realistic with clients.”
Office location for John Hunter Smith
707 West Washington Street
Sherman, TX 75092
Phone: 903-893-8177
Selections
11 Years Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2024
