J. Craig Smith

Within 6 months of joining Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, J. Craig Smith won his first significant judgment -- $600,000 for a woman injured when stereo equipment fell on her head while shopping at a Norwalk department store. Since then, Craig has handled numerous complex cases that have resulted in settlements in excess of $1 million.

In 2006, Craig argued a case against a trucking company involving the wrongful death of a truck mechanic to the Connecticut Supreme Court. He also won a substantial verdict against Ford Motor Credit Company involving fraud in South Carolina District Court in 2007. Currently, Craig is co-counsel on a Georgia case, Mohawk Industries, Inc. v. Carpenter (No. 08-678) that has been granted certiorari at the United States Supreme Court.

Prior to joining Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, Craig worked at law firms in Connecticut and South Carolina and tried dozens of cases to verdict involving issues ranging from personal injury and product liability to antitrust, eminent domain, and fraud.

Craig received his Juris Doctorate at the University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia, S.C., and was admitted to the bar there in 1999. He received his undergraduate degree from DePaul University in 1994, where he majored in Political Science and minored in Theater.

Before entering the legal profession, Craig had a successful career in the theater, movies and television, with national appearances on stage and in several motion pictures. His appearances include roles in the movie Queen, the sequel to Roots, with Martin Sheen and Halle Berry, a regional tour of A Streetcar Named Desire, and the television show The Heat of the Night, among others.

Craig has been published by the South Carolina Lawyer and is an award-winning debater in national competition. He is a frequent speaker at legal events and seminars.

Curriculum Vitae

Bar Admission

• 1999, South Carolina; United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
• 2003, Connecticut
• 2004, United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
• 2006, Georgia
• 2007, United States District Court for the District of Northern Georgia
• 2008, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
• 2008, United States Supreme Court

Publications

• Risking Safety for School Spirit, Trial (April 2006); reprinted in Connecticut Lawyer (November 2007, Volume 18/Number 3)
• Individual Voir Dire in South Carolina – Worth Considering, South Carolina Trial Lawyer Bulletin (Winter 2007)
• Subpoenas in magistrate courts: it is time to simplify the rules, South Carolina Lawyer (November 2002)

Contributions

• Circuit Representative, South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division, 2003.
• Advocate, National College of Advocacy, 2002.
• Best Oralist (Runner-up), John Marshall National Technology Law Competition, Chicago, IL, University of South Carolina Moot Court Team, 1998.
• Order of the Barristers, University of South Carolina Moot Court Team, 1997-98.
• Captain/Oralist, Wagner Labor Law Competition, New York City, University of South Carolina Labor Law Moot Court Team, 1998.

Awards

• Recipient, Who’s Who of America’s Law Students, 1998-99.
• Recipient, South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association Scholarship, 1996-97, 97-98.
• Recipient, Alpha Pi Sigma National Honor Society for Political Science Majors, 1994.
• Recipient, Stanley Theater Talent Scholarship, DePaul University, 1992.
• Recipient, National Irene Ryan Award for Outstanding College Actors, 1991.

Notable Cases

• Dial Enterprises, Inc. v. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., No. 3:02-4046-22 (D.S.C. filed Dec. 4, 2002)
• Esdacy, Inc. v. Visa USA Inc., et al, No.1:06-5583 (E.D.N.Y. filed Oct. 16, 2006)
• Gonzalez v. University System of New Hampshire, et al (Conn. Superior Court, Jan 28, 2005)