Paul Smith

Southern California attorney practicing in the area of fair debt collection.

I am a veteran of the US Navy, having served six years as a hospital corpsman, including two years with the Marine Corps in Okinawa and Thailand. I am a graduate of San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a graduate of UCLA School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree. At UCLA, I was an Editor of the prestigious UCLA Law Review journal.

After graduating from UCLA School of Law, I passed the California bar exam on my first attempt and went to work at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, one of the largest and most prestigious law firms in California. While at Sheppard Mullin, I represented large corporations such as Taco Bell, Taylor Made Golf Company, Nordstrom, and Chevron on a variety of litigation matters.

In December of 2002, I realized that working at a huge firm and representing huge corporations was not the type of law I wanted to practice, and I left Sheppard Mullin to start my own firm representing individual consumers. I became a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, and began practicing in the areas of fair debt collection and fair credit reporting.

When I am not practicing law, I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughter, attending sporting events (Padres, Chargers, UCLA Bruins), surfing, and playing basketball.