Frantz Ward is pleased to announce that Partner
Michael E. Smith is appointed as the firm’s General Counsel. As General Counsel, Mike is responsible for all ethics and legal issues relating to the firm and its attorneys. He will take on the role of General Counsel in addition to his current role as Partner in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group.
“Mike is ideally-suited to serve in this role for the firm,” said Christopher G. Keim, Frantz Ward Managing Partner. “He is a Founding Partner of Frantz Ward and served in similar administrative roles in his community and board participation. Specifically, his former role with the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s Grievance Committee will serve as great background for this role.”
Mike has a broad-based general litigation practice involving both business litigation and personal injury litigation. His business litigation practice includes general contract and business torts, ERISA, insurance coverage litigation, professional malpractice, regulatory, consumer sales practices, and health care, including the defense of class action claims in several of those areas. Mike also represents a wide variety of companies in defending personal injury claims, including product liability, premise liability, and employer intentional tort cases. He also devotes significant time advising clients on how to avoid future litigation. Mike is named to The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Litigation-Insurance. He is devoted to giving back to the community and serves as Board Chair for Community of Hope, the home of Cleveland’s Open Table initiative; as well as an active volunteer with several other organizations including The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and the Kinship Caregiver Legal Assistance Workshop. Mike earned his J.D.,
summa cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University College of Law and his B.A.,
magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame.