Attorneys

Daniel U. Smith

Daniel U. Smith

Daniel is the senior partner at Smith & McGinty and is a Certified Appellate Specialist with 35 years of experience representing plaintiffs on appeal. He belongs to the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He serves on CAOC's Board and CAOC's Amicus Curiae Committee. He represented CAOC in the Supreme Court in Salgado v. County of Los Angeles (1998) 19 Cal.4th 629, and in two punitive damage cases: Simon v. San Paolo (etc.)(2005) 35 Cal.4th 1159, and Johnson v. Ford Motor Co. (2005) 35 Cal.4th 1191. For 2002, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles named him “Appellate Lawyer of the Year.”

Tel: 415.742.4385
Fax: 415.379.4810

Awards & Memberships

  • California Judicial Council Task Force on Jury Instructions)Civil, 2000-2003
  • California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, 1985-present\
  • Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles)Appellate Lawyer of the Year, 2002
  • Consumer Attorneys of California)Presidential Award of Merit, 1994
  • Consumer Attorneys of California, Amicus Curiae Committee, 1990-present
  • Bar Assn. of San Francisco (Past Co-chair, Appellate Courts Committee)
  • Los Angeles County Bar Assn. (Appellate Courts Committee, founding member)
  • Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), Former Board Member
  • Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA)
  • San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (SFTLA), Former Board Member

Clerkship

  • Law clerk to Hon. Alfonso J. Zirpoli, United States District Judge, Northern District of California, 1968-1969

Admitted to Practice

  • United States Supreme Court
  • Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • California Supreme Court
  • Illinois Supreme Court
  • Northern District of California
  • Central District of California
  • Northern District of Illinois

Education

  • Princeton University, A.B., 1965, Princeton, New Jersey
  • Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
  • Boalt Hall, Juris Doctor, 1968, University of California, Berkeley
  • California Law Review, Executive Editor 1967-1968
  • American Jurisprudence Award 1967

Teaching

Mr. Smith teaches two seminars: “Persuasive Legal Writing” and “What's New in Tort and Trial Practice.”

Valerie T. McGinty

Valerie T. McGinty

Valerie is a partner at Smith & McGinty, specializing in plaintiffs' appeals.  She was one of the amicus attorneys for the California Employment Lawyers Association in the favorable 2010 Supreme Court decision of Sonic-Calabasas A, Inc. v. Moreno (2010) 51 Cal.4th 659.  She is a CAOC Board member and will be Chair of CAOC's Women's Caucus in 2013.  She is a frequent presenter at SFTLA, CAOC, and AAJ seminars.  In 2010, Valerie received a CAOC Presidential Award of Merit from the Consumer Attorneys of California.  She externed for the Honorable John E. Munter of the San Francisco Superior Court and Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline of the Court of Appeal, First District, Division Two.

Tel: 415.305.8253
Fax: 415.373.3703

Memberships

  • 2009 – present: Amicus Curiae Committee of the Consumer Attorneys of California
  • 2009 – present: Member of Education Committee, Consumer Attorneys of California
  • 2009 – present: Contributing member of Magazine Committee, San Francisco Trial Lawyers
  • 2009 – present: Member of Education Committee, San Francisco Trial Lawyers

Bar Admissions

  • California

Education

  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 2006
  • Honorable Mention: Best Oral Argument, Moot Court
  • Founding Member of Hastings Race and Poverty Law Journal
  • Extern for Hon. John E. Munter, San Francisco Superior Court
  • Extern for Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline, California Court of Appeal, First District, Division Two
  • Stanford University, A.B. 1997

Teaching

Ms. McGinty has taught several CLE programs including:

  • “Defeating Arbitration and Protecting Your Client's Right to a Jury Trial” 2009 CAOC Hawaii Seminar
  • “What's New in Tort and Trial” 2010 Consumer Attorneys of Marin
  • “Winning Your Appeal During Trial” 2010 Orange County Employment Lawyers
  • “Defeating Summary Judgment in Difficult Premises Liability Cases” 2010 SFTLA Seminar
  • “Proving Punitive Damages in Auto Cases” 2010 CAOC Vehicle Dynamics Seminar