East Texas’ Ward & Smith Adds Longtime Partner to Firm Name; Now Ward, Smith & Hill, PLLC

LONGVIEW, Texas – Ward & Smith, one of East Texas’ leading trial law firms, is adding longtime firm partner Wesley Hill to the firm name. Ward & Smith Law Firm is now Ward, Smith & Hill, PLLC.

Mr. Hill has been a partner at the Longview-based firm since 2009, trying almost a dozen of his more than 20 career trials since then. His practice includes significant patent cases heard in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in addition to oil and gas disputes, business litigation and federal criminal defense. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal district courts.

“Wes is one of the top lawyers you’ll find anywhere, and we’re proud to add his name to the firm brand that he’s helped build over the years,” says firm founder Johnny Ward. “Like all of our lawyers, he is at home in the courtroom, which is why so many clients continue to call on Wes for their most important cases.”

Since graduating second in his class at the Texas Tech University School of Law and serving as a federal judicial clerk, Mr. Hill has amassed a diverse trial record that includes successful take-nothing verdicts for defense clients and multimillion-dollar plaintiff wins.

His considerable litigation track record has produced numerous professional honors, including his induction into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), an AV-rating in the respected LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell guide, and multiple selections to the annual Texas Rising Stars list of the state’s top young lawyers.

Mr. Hill is licensed to practice in all Texas state district courts and U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas, in addition to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has served as Chairman of the Eastern District of Texas Local Rules Advisory Committee since 2009. He also is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a member of The Honorable T. John Ward American Inn of Court, which is named for his fellow partner, a former U.S. District judge.

Longview, Texas-based Ward, Smith & Hill, PLLC, has tried more than 350 cases to verdict, earning a national reputation in high-stakes claims involving complex commercial litigation, intellectual property law, oil and gas matters, bad faith insurance claims, and serious personal injury claims. The firm frequently assists lawyers nationwide in complex cases before Texas juries.