Mr. Smith graduated from Brigham Young University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Finance. While in college and after graduation Mr. Smith worked in the title insurance industry as a licensed title examiner. He graduated from the University of Santa Clara School of Law in 1982. He was also admitted to practice law in the State of California in 1982. While in law school, he was an Associate Editor of the Santa Clara Law Review and on the Dean's lists. After graduation, Mr. Smith became an associate attorney with the law firm of Packard Packard & Bennion in Palo Alto, California. Mr. Smith returned to the San Joaquin Valley and became an associate with the firm in 1984 and a partner 1987. He practices in the areas of water law, real estate and business transactions and litigation; construction law; estate planning; and probate. Over the years his practice has focused more and more on representing water-related public agencies and private mutual water companies. For over ten years he was the lead attorney in a project which enlarged Lake Kaweah. Mr. Smith's current clients include six water-related public entities, six mutual water companies, an agricultural cooperative, a number of commercial construction companies, and various other local businesses and individuals. He is a member of the Tulare County Bar Association and the State Bar of California. Mr. Smith is also licensed to practice in the federal courts in the Eastern and Northern Districts of California.
