ROGER A. SMITH joined Vandeveer Garzia, P.C. in 2018 having previously worked at Garan Lucow Miller, P.C. Mr. Smith was with GLM for several decades, where he successfully litigated virtually every type of tort action (municipal liability, general negligence, dram shop, construction, Section 1983, product liability, automobile negligence, etc.). He practiced in multiple circuit courts across the State of Michigan and in both the Eastern and Western Districts of the U.S. Federal Court.

For most of his career at GLM, Mr. Smith served in various management capacities, including Chairman of its Executive Committee and Managing Partner. He is pleased to shed those responsibilities and devote his attention to his real passion of litigating civil matters.

Mr. Smith has a long history of serving as a court- and party-appointed arbitrator, mediator and facilitator.

His litigation skills and professional expertise were recognized by the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (now the Michigan Association for Justice) when in 2003, its Respected Advocate Award was bestowed upon him. He is also a two-time nominee for the State Bar of Michigan’s John W. Cummiskey Award recognizing pro bono contributions. For many years, he has served as the President of the Advisory Council for the Salvation Army William Booth Legal Aid Clinic.

Mr. Smith has spoken at numerous seminars at the request of many organizations and has been recognized annually since 2015 as one of the nation’s top one percent of attorneys by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, since 2006 as a “Super Lawyer,” since 2008 as one of the Best Lawyers in America, and as a Top Lawyer by dbusiness magazine. He has also achieved a Judicial Edition Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV Preeminent.

EDUCATION

Eastern Michigan University, B. S., 1972

Wayne State University Law School, J. D., 1977

LICENESES

State Bar of Michigan 1977

United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

MEMBERSHIPS

State Bar of Michigan

Oakland County Bar Association

HONORS AND AWARDS

“AV Preeminent” rating by Judicial Edition of Martindale Hubbell Peer Review

“Nations Top 1 of Attorneys” by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, annually since 2015

“Super Lawyer,” State of Michigan, ever year from 2006 to the present

“Best Lawyers in America,” every year from 2008 to the present

“Top Lawyer” by dbusiness Magizine

Michigan’s “Top 100 Civil Defense Litigators,” 2018

SIGNIFICANT CASES HANDLED

Below is a listing of some of Mr. Smith’s significant cases:

• Sanders v. Oakland Cnty.,
• 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 46340, 2017 WL 1164767 (E.D. Mich. 2017)
  lv den 705 Fed. Appx. 452 (6th Cir. 2017)
• Praxair v. Detroit Bulk Storage, Inc.,
• unpublished opinion per curiam of the Court of Appeals, decided March 1, 2016 (Docket No. 323354), 2016 Mich. App. LEXIS 410,
  lv den 500 Mich. 922, 888 N.W.2d 73 (2016)
• Dye v. City of Roseville,
• 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 173222, 2014 WL 7184460 (E.D. Mich. 2014)
• Thomas v. Univ. of Mich.,
• 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 190190 (E.D. Mich. 2013)
• Fax Agency, Inc. v. E.R.J. Ins. Group, Inc.,
• 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 114596, 2013 WL 4417456 (E.D. Mich. 2013)
• Campbell v. Worthy,
• 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 78818, 2013 WL 2446287 (E.D. Mich. 2013)
• Clemente v. Vaslo,
• 679 F.3d 482 (6th Cir. 2012)
• Scozzari v. Miedzianowski,
• 454 Fed. Appx. 455 (6th Cir. 2012) & 500 Fed.Appx. 421 (6th Cir. 2012)
• Rupert v. Daggett,
• 695 F.3d 417 (6th Cir. 2012)
• Overton v. City of Ypsilanti,
• 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38800, 2011 WL 1344597 (E.D. Mich. 2011)
• Stahl v Czernik,
• 496 Fed. Appx. 621, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 18341 (6th Cir. 2012)
• Yousef v TJX Companies, Inc.,
• 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 115911, 2011 WL 4709877 (E.D. Mich. 2011)
• Brooks v. Rothe,
• 577 F.3d 701 (6th Cir. 2009)
• Kasperski v. Village of New Haven,
• 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31524, 2009 WL 1010916 (E.D. Mich. 2009)
• McCarty v. Gatz,
• 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 49793, 2009 WL 1664462 (E.D. Mich. 2009)
• Richardson v. Nasser,
• 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 114641, 2009 WL 4730446 (E.D. Mich. 2009)
• Williams v. Romulus Police Dept.,
• 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65514, 2008 WL 4056332 (E.D. Mich. 2008)
• Michigan Division – Monument Builders of N. Am. v. Mich. Cemetery Ass’n.,
• 458 F. Supp.2d 474 (E.D. Mich. 2006)
• Dean v. Childs,
• 262 Mich. App. 48, 684 N.W.2d 894 (2004)
• Quest Diagnostics, Inc. v. MCI WorldCom, Inc.,
• 254 Mich. App. 372, 656 N.W.2d 858 (2002)
• Jones v. Enertel, Inc.,
• 467 Mich. 266, 650 N.W.2d 334 (2002)
• Allstate Ins. Co. v. Fick,
• 226 Mich. App. 197, 572 N.W.2d 265 (1967)
• Adams v. Perry Furniture Co.,
• 198 Mich. App. 1, 497 N.W.2d 514 (1993)
• Harris v. Vailliencourt,
• 170 Mich. App. 740, 428 N.W.2d 759 (1988)
• Allstate Ins. Co. v. Cannon,
• 644 F.Supp. 31 (E.D. Mich. 1986)
• Reynolds v. Allstate Ins. Co.,
• 123 Mich. App. 488, 332 N.W.2d 583 (1983)
• Mielke v. Allstate Ins. Co.,
• 472 F.Supp. 851 (E.D. Mich. 1979)