Robert W. Smyth, Jr. concentrates his practice in defending catastrophic injury and high exposure cases. Mr. Smyth’s range of experience includes toxic tort, mass tort, professional negligence and construction defect litigation. The common thread of Mr. Smyth’s practice is the high stakes nature of the cases he has tried. In calendar year 2008, he successfully defended three consecutive trials where the average award requested by opposing counsel was $18.3 million. These favorable verdicts, earned against the three premier trial firms in Chicago, Corboy and Demetrio, Clifford Law Offices, and Power Rogers & Smith, exemplify the nature of Mr. Smyth’s trial practice.

Mr. Smyth’s range of experience spans catastrophic medical malpractice defense, major complex produce liability litigation, including pharmaceutical and automotive product liability, as well as construction defect litigation. Mr. Smyth successfully defended the target defendant in the first “sick building syndrome” case tried in Illinois, a much publicized three-month trial involving the DuPage County Courthouse. Mr. Smyth was primary trial counsel for the St. Charles School District in the nationally-publicized class action suit alleging mold and toxic exposure at the St. Charles East High School.

Mr. Smyth has been named a “Super Lawyer” in Illinois on multiple occasions. Super Lawyers are chosen by attorney peers through the independent selection process offered by the independent research of Law & Politics. Mr. Smyth has held an AV rating with Martindale & Hubbell each year for the past fifteen years. Mr. Smyth has also been named a Leading Lawyer in the areas of Medical Malpractice, Products Liability, Professional Malpractice, and Toxic Torts. The list of Leading Lawyers is compiled by virtue of peer polling of litigation attorneys in Illinois.

Mr. Smyth joined the firm as a founding partner in 1995 and served as the Managing Partner from 2002 to 2007. Previously, Mr. Smyth was a partner at Baker & McKenzie. He obtained his law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1982, and received his undergraduate degree, with distinction, from the University of Michigan.