L. Dean Smith Jr.

L. DEAN SMITH, JR. is a trial lawyer specializing in cases related to traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and wrongful death resulting from car accidents, semi-truck accidents, defective products, and medical malpractice. Dean is also adept at managing cases involving sexual harassment and discrimination based on race, gender, pregnancy, and disability. He never backs down from a fight and has successfully recovered over $55 million on behalf of his clients by holding corporations, entities, and individuals accountable for their wrongdoings.

Dean is rated a Southern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers, a rating service for outstanding lawyers from over 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of recognition and professional achievement. Only 2.5 percent of California lawyers are selected annually to receive the honor of Rising Star.

Before joining Paz Law Firm, Dean was a litigator at several of Los Angeles’s leading litigation boutiques, representing corporate and individual clients in federal and state courts across California. There, he gained significant experience in a wide range of complex litigation, including claims of defective products, catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death, clergy sexual abuse, consumer class actions, wrongful termination, discrimination, professional liability, partnership disputes, and business torts.

Some of Dean’s Notable Results:

• $6,500,000 Settlement of Auto v. Truck case in which his client was rendered a paraplegic, but uninsured (Prop. 213) and under the influence and in possession of methamphetamine at the time of the crash;

• $754,000 Verdict in Auto v. Semi-Truck crash case where his client received a single level lumbar fusion;

• $1,000,000 Settlement of a Stool Failure Case which exacerbated his client's prior lumbar fusion surgery;

• $895,000 Verdict in Auto v. Auto crash case where client received a single level cervical fusion;

• $1,500,000 Settlement of Auto crash case in which his client received a lumbar discectomy;

Dean earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School in 2006. There, he was a member of the Entertainment Law Review and made the Dean’s List. He also received the First Honor’s Award for achieving the highest grade in Legal Research and Writing. Dean assisted in prosecuting cases at Loyola’s Disability Rights Legal Center, focusing on individuals with disabilities.

Additionally, Dean served as a research assistant to Professor Laurie Levenson, a prominent authority in criminal law and procedure.