Dawn Smith was born in Tucson, Arizona and raised by a single mom with the help of loving grandparents. Growing up, Dawn’s family instilled in her a belief that those who work hard and dream big can accomplish anything – no matter what the odds. With this foundation, Dawn turned her sights on a career in law, and didn’t look back. She hoped to make a difference in the lives of people like her mother and grandparents who worked hard their entire lives through adversity, always striving to make the world a better place in the smallest ways with kindness and fairness.

On an eight-grade field trip to Washington D.C., Dawn’s dream of being a lawyer solidified in her heart. She sat in a formal gallery surrounded by towering marble columns and listened to a session of the U.S. Supreme Court. The lawyers in the front of the room argued passionately for their client’s rights; their voices raised to Justices perched high above in black robes, who cunningly challenged every part of the case. Unwavering, the lawyers fought to positively impact the lives of their clients with one voice and one day in court. At that moment it was clear, through the law one voice can touch many lives.

Dawn graduated with a B.A. in Economics from the University of North Texas, where she was president of the pre-law society Phi Alpha Delta. At UNT she met her husband and they moved to Southern California where she attended Whittier Law School. While there, Dawn clerked for the California Court of Appeal, Second District, and was a founding board member of the Whittier Journal of Child and Family Advocacy.

After graduating, Dawn was fortunate enough to work for a successful Plaintiff’s firm in Orange County, California where she immediately began trying cases. She gained invaluable litigation experience handling a wide variety of claims involving products liability, medical negligence, elder abuse, child sexual abuse and neglect, sexual harassment, employment discrimination and class action lawsuits. Through each case, she had the honor of representing individuals with a limited understanding of our justice system including the most vulnerable members of our society, children. She fought against large corporate Defendants who stopped at nothing to prevent or delay justice for her clients. It was quickly and routinely apparent that those who had been injured by reckless companies needed people who were willing and able to selflessly support and empower them through adversity toward a just resolution. Dawn’s litigation efforts became increasingly unrelenting, as she learned that Defendants responded to nothing less. As a result, Dawn was a leading member of trial teams that won over 60 million dollars in verdicts and settlements in the five years before she joined HossleyEmbry, L.L.P.

In 2006, Dawn returned to Washington D.C. where her dream was fulfilled in a way she never imagined. She stood at the front of the U.S. Supreme Court gallery, again surrounded by marble columns, looking up at formidable Justices in their black robes. But this time, Chief Justice John G. Roberts swore her in as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. Anything is possible for those who work hard and believe, which is a lesson that Dawn hopes to instill in her son and daughter, ages 9 and 5.

Education:
Whittier Law School (J.D. 2002)
University of North Texas (B.A. Economics 1999)

Bar Admissions:
U.S. Supreme Court Bar, admitted 2006
State Bar of California, admitted 2002
USDC Central District of California, admitted 2002
US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, admitted 2003
State Bar of Texas, pending

Professional Associations:
American Association for Justice
Orange County Bar Association
Consumer Attorneys Association of California
Orange County Trial Lawyers Association