Fresno, California
| Attorney | |
| phone | 559-549-8675 916-905-4858 |
| fax | (559) 432-4871 (Fresno, California) (916) 551-1558 (Sacramento, California) |
| Email Me | |
William J. (Willie) Smith specializes in Civil Rights, race discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, pregnancy, age, disability and sex discrimination. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a law degree from UCLA Law School in 1972. After graduation from UCLA Law School, he worked for the National Labor Relations Board, Region 31, in Los Angeles.
He has served as a Pro Tem Judge, Mediator and Arbitrator in Employment disputes and as a Hearing Officer for the Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission, and a member of the Personnel Commission of State Center Community College District.
After departing the NLRB in 1974, he was employed by the Los Angeles law firm of Brundage, Reich, Beeson & Pappy, representing labor unions in litigation and collective bargaining. In 1978, he returned to his hometown, Fresno, where he has been engaged in private law practice and viticulture on the family farm.
He has been an active member of the American Bar Association, Labor Law Section, the Tort and Litigation Section, Labor & Employment Section of the California Bar, an Executive Board member of the National Employment Lawyers Association, former Co-Chair of the Sexual Harassment Committee of National Employment Lawyers Association, LA County Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association, a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, an Executive; Board member, California Employment Lawyers Association, member of the Federal Bar Association (San Joaquin), as former Chair of Civil Rights Committee and member of the Inns of Court. He is also the former president of the Fresno County Bar Association, former president of the Central California Legal Services Board of Directors and former president of the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees, where he has served for approximately 17 years.
He is a nationally recognized speaker on sexual harassment, race discrimination and employment litigation, having; authored numerous articles, an amicus brief, (co-author); in Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc.,(1993) 510 U.S. 17, 114 S.CT., 367 and contributor to C.E.B. Wrongful Employment Termination practice, 2d ed.
He was co-counsel in the first known million-dollar sexual harassment case in California. He has represented hundreds of plaintiffs and several defendants.
He has been selected as one of the outstanding employment lawyers in California by California Law Business, a legal publication of the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He was also selected as a member of College of Labor & Employment Lawyers.
He was co-counsel in; Andrews v. Rodway , a race discrimination, class action case in Federal Court, in Fresno.
He is currently class counsel in Pigford v. Glickman, et al., representing African American Farmers in a race discrimination case against USDA.
He is married to Judge Joy E. Johnson. They have four children: Danielle, Nicole, Seth and Kira.
- Areas of Practice:
- Sexual Harassment and Discrimination
- Race Discrimination
- Age Discrimination
- Defamation
- Whistleblower
- Bar Admissions:
- California, 1973
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court Central District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Education:
- University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, Los Angeles, California,
1972
Juris Doctor - University of California, Los Angeles, California,
1968
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Political Science
- Published Works:
- How to Prepare for Oppose and Defeat Rights for Mental Examination, The Practical Litigator, Volume 10, Number 1, January, 1999
- Wrongful Employment Termination Practice, CEB Publisher, Section on Discovery, 2nd Edition
- Representative Cases:
- Harris vs. Forklift (Co-Author of amicus brief of National Employment Lawyers Association) (U.S. Supreme Court 1993)
- Pigford vs. Glickman (U.S. District Court, District of Columbia)
- Souza v. Los Banos Community Hospital, et. al.
- Rivera v. Nibco (9th Circuit District Court)
- EEOC / Tamayo v. Harris Farms (Federal Court Case, Eastern District)
- Honors and Awards:
- Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
- Best Employment Lawyers in California by the California Bar Journal, 1993
- Professional Associations and Memberships:
- American Association for Justice
- Member
- Fresno County Bar Association, 1980 - Present
- Former President & Member
- State Center Community College, 1990 - Present
- Former President, Board of Trustees, & Member
- American Bar Association
- Member
- NELA (National Employment Lawyers Association)
- Former Vice President, Board of Directors
- CELA (California Employment Lawyers Association)
- Former Board of Directors
- Fresno Madera Legal Services
- Former President, Board of Trustees, & Member






