James A. Smith, Jr.

Education: B.A., University of Notre Dame (1970); J.D., Cornell University (1973)(Law Review).

Court Admissions: I am authorized to practice in Washington State and before the U.S. District Court for the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. I have appeared and argued before all of these courts. I have tried cases in a variety of diverse jurisdictions, including Alaska, Washington D.C., California, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia, as well as Washington.

Legal Experience and Work History: I was a partner in the Seattle law firm of Bogle & Gates. In 1982, I formed my own law firm, the most recent version of which was Smith & Hennessey, PLLC., which was formed in 2000.
Throughout my entire legal career, I have been involved in a litigation practice consisting of trial, appellate and dispute resolution work. My law practice emphasized complex litigation including a wide variety of business, commercial and tort cases in numerous substantive areas. Since the late 1970s, I have done work as a mediator and arbitrator as an adjunct to my trial and appellate practice. I have represented both plaintiffs and defendants, as well as individuals and business entities, throughout my practice.
I have appeared in a variety of State and Federal Courts and personally argued cases at all levels of the Washington State and Federal Court systems, including various State trial
Courts, the Washington State Court of Appeals, the Washington Supreme Court, various U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Fifth Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Focus of Practice: My litigation practice emphasized complex cases, including business, estate, fiduciary, commercial, insurance, environmental, securities, employment, contract, construction, eminent domain, personal injury and business tort claims. A significant amount of my practice also involved work as a mediator and arbitrator, as well as representing clients in alternative dispute resolution proceedings. In 2024, I formed Smith Dispute Resolution which performs mediation, arbitration and other dispute resolution work.
Professional Associations: Co-chair and Chair, Federal Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee (1995-2001); Panel of Arbitrators, American Arbitration Association (1986-)(LCCP); Panel of Mediators, United States District Court for the Western District of Washington CR 39.1 Program (1981-); Chairperson, Federal Bar Association ADR Task Force (1995); Vice President, Federal Bar Association (2000-01); President, Federal Bar Association (2001-02); Member and Chairperson, Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Committee, United States District Court Western District of Washington (1999-); Member, American Bar Association (Litigation Section and Dispute Resolution Section); Member, Washington State Bar Association (Trustee Trial Practice Section (1983-86) Member, ADR Section); Member, King County Bar Association; Trustee, King County Bar Foundation (2009-); Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers; Fellow, American Board of Trial Advocates; Member, National Association of Distinguished Neutrals; Member, International Society of Barristers; Member, ADR Roundtable. I have been voted by my peers into Washington’s Top 100 Super Lawyers in Washington Law and Politics in multiple years.

Dispute Resolution Training and Experience: I have been a frequent lecturer in CLE programs involving mediation, arbitration, and other forms of ADR. I have been involved in presenting CLE programs to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, ABA Dispute Resolution Section, Washington State Bar Association, King County Bar Association, Washington State Attorney General’s office, the Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Washington, the Northwest ADR Conference, and other professional organizations. I have taken numerous American Arbitration Association training courses in a variety of substantive areas. I am a member of the American Arbitration Association Large Complex Case Panel.
I have been involved as an arbitrator on numerous occasions, including American Arbitration Association, as well as private matters. A significant amount of my practice involves acting as a mediator under the CR 39.1 ADR program in cases pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, as well as providing mediation and arbitration services in cases pending in the Washington State Court system and other forums. I successfully have served as an arbitrator or neutral in breach of contract, antitrust, construction, securities, shareholder disputes, partnership, professional dissolutions, employment, insurance, intellectual property, tort and personal injury, professional negligence, estate and family disputes and a number of other substantive areas. I have been appointed as the mediator by courts on multiple occasions, including multi-district litigation. I have successfully mediated many complex multi-party disputes and I have mediated cases of all sizes, including many multi-million-dollar disputes.
Additional information is available upon request.