Walter Yoka is a nationally recognized trial attorney focused on litigating cases involving products liability, commercial disputes and class actions. In addition to having tried numerous high profile cases to verdict, Walter has also successfully argued in California’s Supreme and Appellate courts.
Among his many affiliations, Walter is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), previously serving as the 2014 President of the Los Angeles chapter. He also serves on the Executive Board and is the immediate past-President of CAL-ABOTA. Additionally, Walter is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Counsel, International Society of Barristers, and Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC). Walter previously served as President of the ASCDC and was also President of the California Defense Counsel. Walter was inducted into the ASCDC Hall of Fame in 2008.
In 2003, Walter was appointed by Chief Justice Ronald George to serve on the Judicial Council Blue Ribbon Panel of Experts on the Fair and Efficient Administration of Civil Cases, and formerly served as a member of the Judicial Counsel Civil & Small Claims Committee. Chief Justice George also appointed him to serve on the Civil & Small Claims Advisory Committee on Electronic Discovery.
Walter has been recognized as a Super Lawyer every year since 2004, and selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2006, and Los Angeles Times' Southern California's Top Rated Lawyers list. Further, Walter was recognized as Best Lawyers 2018, 2014 and 2012 Lawyer of the Year Product Liability Litigation - Defendants Los Angeles, California and was also the recipient of the prestigious Champion of Justice award from the Civil Justice Program at Loyola Law School in 2016.
More recently, he was chosen as the 2018 Southwestern Law School Alumnus of the Year. Walter continues to be active the legal community as a member of several boards, including being a Trustee of Southwestern Law School’s Board of Trustees.
Experience
Awards & Recognition
- Southern California's Best Lawyer
- Super Lawyer
- Best Lawyers in America
- Yoka & Smith has continually been chosen as a Fortune 500 Go-To Law Firm of the World's Leading Companies
- Southern California's Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year - Product Liability Litigation, and Personal Injury Litigation Defendants" for 2014
- Walter M. Yoka, Christopher E. Faenza, Alice Chen Smith Recognized: 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
Product Liability, Catastrophic Injury, Class Action
- Walter M. Yoka and Christopher E. Faenza selected as Leaders of Influence: Litigators and Trial Attorneys by the Los Angeles Business Journal
- Walter M. Yoka, Christopher E. Faenza and Alice Chen Smith selected as 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers
- Walter M. Yoka, Christopher E. Faenza, Alice Chen Smith Recognized: 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
Walter Yoka, Christopher Faenza and Alice Chen Smith have been recognized in the 2nd edition of Lawdragon’s guide to the most elite courtroom advocates in the nation. Those selected represent the all-stars in commercial litigation, financial and securities matters, white collar and investigations, and IP, cybersecurity and data privacy.
Honorees are selected through submissions, journalistic research of the lawyers behind the biggest cases, and editorial vetting from a board of peers.
- Walter M. Yoka, Christopher E. Faenza, Alice Chen Smith and Lauren A.R. Lofton Recognized by Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
Walter Yoka, Christopher Faenza, Alice Chen Smith and Lauren A.R. Lofton are among the all-star litigators selected for the the inaugural guide to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America.
The guide is dedicated to those attorneys who excel representing principally corporations and other organizations in litigating claims involving Antitrust, Securities, Financial, M&A, Intellectual Property and Patents, Product Liability, Mass Tort, White Collar, Government Investigations and Energy disputes.
- Walter M. Yoka Recognized By Best Lawyers - 2023
- Walter Yoka, Alice Smith and Christopher Faenza selected as 2022 Super Lawyers
- Walter M. Yoka Recognized By Best Lawyers - 2022
- Walter Yoka, Stephen Smith and Christopher Faenza selected as 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers
Walter M. Yoka - PI - Products: Defense
Stephen H. Smith - PI - Products: Defense
Christopher E. Faenza - Civil Litigation - Defense
- Walter M. Yoka Recognized By Best Lawyers - 2021
Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
- Walter Yoka, Stephen Smith and Christopher Faenza selected as 2020 Super Lawyers
- Walter Yoka, Stephen Smith and Christopher Faenza selected as 2019 Super Lawyers
- Walter M. Yoka Recognized By Best Lawyers - 2019
- Walter M. Yoka Recognized as Best Lawyers 2018 Lawyer of the Year - Product Liability Litigation-Defendants Los Angeles, California
- Walter Yoka CHOSEN 2016 Champion of Justice
- Walter Yoka, Stephen Smith, Anthony Latiolait, Christopher Faenza, Jeffrey Gordon selected as 2016 Super Lawyers
- Walter Yoka, Stephen Smith, Anthony Latiolait, Christopher Faenza, Jeffrey Gordon Selected as 2015 Super Lawyers
- Walter Yoka Chosen as the 2014 "Lawyer of the Year" by U.S. News — Best Lawyers ® for Los Angeles Personal Injury Litigation — Defendants
- Walter Yoka Named to Southern California's Top Rated Lawyers
- Walter Yoka Selected as One of the Best Lawyers in America
- Yoka & Smith Again Chosen by U.S. News — Best Lawyers ® "Best Law Firms" 2014
- Yoka & Smith Selected as a U.S. News - Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms"
- Yoka & Smith Selected as a 2013 All Star Go-To Law Firm of the World's Leading Companies
- Yoka & Smith Chosen as a Fortune 500 Go-To Law Firm of the World's Leading Companies
- Walter Yoka, Stephen Smith, Anthony Latiolait, Christopher Faenza and Jeffrey Gordon Chosen as Southern California Super Lawyers
- Walter Yoka and the Firm Chosen as Go-To Lawyers by the Fortune 500 Companies
- Walter M. Yoka Selected as One of the 2009 Los Angeles Area's Best Lawyers
- Walter Yoka Honored as the Initial Inductee to the ASCDC Hall of Fame
- Walter Yoka, Stephen Smith and Anthony Latiolait chosen as Southern California Super Lawyers
- Walter Yoka, Stephen Smith and Anthony Latiolait Chosen as Southern California Super Lawyers
Professional Associations and Memberships
- American Bar Association, Member
- Defense Research Institute, Member
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Member, Executive Committee, National Board of Directors, Past President, Los Angeles Chapter
- CAL-ABOTA, President-elect
- Product Liability Advisory Council, Member
- International Society of Barristers, Member
- Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, Past President, Board of Directors
- California Defense Counsel, Past President
- Los Angeles County Bar Association, Past Member Judicial Appointment Committee
- Judicial Council Civil & Small Claims Committee, Past Member
News
Bar Admissions
- California
- U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1980
- U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 1987
Education
Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles, California, J.D., 1980
California State University, Los Angeles, California, B.A., 1977