G. Craig Smith

Overview

Mr. Smith has been a civil litigator since 2009, with substantial experience in jury trials, dispositive motion practice, appellate advocacy, and strategic defense of high-exposure civil litigation. He began his legal career at the Law Offices of James C. Bechler, where he handled business litigation, family law, and criminal matters, gaining early courtroom experience in contested hearings and trials. In 2012, Mr. Smith opened his own firm, representing business clients and serving as trial counsel in family law matters until 2015.

In 2015, Mr. Smith joined Ferguson Praet & Sherman (FPS), where he began his public entity defense practice, regularly handling civil rights jury trials, employment-related personnel board hearings, and the defense of wrongful condition cases. In 2017, he joined Manning & Kass to further develop his public entity defense practice and was elevated to partner in 2022. Mr. Smith joined Lynberg & Watkins as a lateral partner effective May 20, 2024.

In January 2025, Mr. Smith obtained a defense verdict as second chair in a civil rights jury trial brought by Dale Galipo, drafting key portions of the opening and closing arguments and preparing the majority of witness outlines used at trial.

Mr. Smith’s practice encompasses all phases of civil litigation involving the defense of California public entities, with an emphasis on preparing cases for trial. His areas of focus include POBRA employment claims and negotiations, wrongful termination and retaliation suits, civil rights and police liability, general negligence, wrongful death, premises and personal injury liability, workplace investigations, and appellate litigation. He regularly advises clients at the inception of critical incidents; responds to and advises command staff and in-house counsel in officer-involved shooting matters; evaluates and resolves claims pre-suit; drafts and responds to pleadings and written discovery; prepares and argues discovery and dispositive motions; conducts depositions; leads settlement negotiations; functions as lead and second chair trial counsel; argues motions in limine; and prepares and argues post-trial motions and appellate briefs.

Mr. Smith has represented a broad array of California public entities in high-stakes litigation, including the City of Azusa, County of Riverside, County of San Bernardino, County of Orange, City of Orange, City of Redondo Beach, City of West Covina, City of Covina, City of Baldwin Park, City of Fresno, City of Clovis, City of Tulare, City of Anaheim, City of Newport Beach, City of Huntington Beach, and City of Santa Barbara.

He served as lead trial counsel in a 2016 federal excessive force case against City of Clovis police officers resulting in a defense verdict, and as co-lead trial counsel in a 2018 officer-involved shooting case against County of Riverside deputies that likewise resulted in a defense verdict. In 2019, he was second chair in a wrongful termination trial in Santa Barbara that resulted in a plaintiff’s verdict approximately equal to the plaintiff’s final demand. Mr. Smith has also handled personnel board hearings and argued significant appellate matters, including the published decision SAPOA v. City of Santa Ana, 13 Cal.App.5th 317 (Cal. Ct. App. 2017).

Consistent with Lynberg & Watkins’ commitment to courtroom excellence and results-driven advocacy, Mr. Smith regularly conducts MCLE training for attorneys on civil discovery and litigation strategy and previously instructed supervisory courses for sergeants and supervisors at the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy from 2022 through 2023.

General

Practice Areas

• – Appellate Practice
• – Civil Rights
• – General Torts
• – Police Liability Defense
• – Premises Liability Defense
• – Public Entity Defense

Education

Professional

Bar Admissions

• – State Bar of California
• – Central District of California
• – Southern District of California
• – Eastern District of California
• – Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Notable

Seminars

• – Orange County Sheriff’s Department Training- Supervisory Course: MCLE Program Civil Litigation

Honor Societies

• – Law Review at Whittier Law School.  Graduated Cum Laude

Awards

• – California Criminal Justice Award