Firm History

YOKA | SMITH is a boutique litigation law firm based in California and serving clients nationwide.  We have had the privilege over the last 28 years of representing companies in various industries, including serving as regional and national counsel to several high-profile companies. We routinely represent clients in class action defense, product liability, commercial disputes and employment related litigation. 

We are very proud of our longstanding relationships with our clients, and the trust and confidence they bestow on our firm to handle some of their most important cases.  Throughout the years, our representation of many Fortune 500 companies has put us at the forefront of key legal issues. We routinely litigate with, and win, cases against opposing sides represented by AM Law 100 and AM Law 200 law firms.

As a litigation boutique, we pride ourselves on handling all aspects of our cases efficiently – from having one primary partner lead the overall direction of a case, to not over staffing cases with an unnecessary number of lawyers, to effectively using paralegals and staff – we never lose sight of the fact that our clients expect and deserve not only fierce and effective advocacy, but also efficient and cost-effective advocacy.  Indeed, this model has served for our firm and our clients well through the years.  In the last 5 years alone, we have taken to trial over 40 cases, and not only obtained defense verdicts and favorable settlements as defendants, but also recovered tens of millions of dollars as plaintiffs on behalf of our corporate clients.

Our value proposition to our clients is simple: local knowledge with national reach, all the while providing strategic, efficient and effective litigation at reasonable costs.  While many boutique firms like to say similar things, few can back it up with our proven track record.  We have spent the last 28 years proving to our corporate clients that our litigation boutique can not only complete with, but also out-perform, AM Law 100 and AM Law 200 firms, at a fraction of the costs.