About 65% of our practice involves representing the victims of personal injury. The other 35% is primarily devoted to defending Lake Tahoe ski areas, representing Salomon, North America, a manufacturer of fine ski equipment and other recreational products. We also represent small businesses and churches in litigation matters. We often appear in South Lake Tahoe, Auburn, Jackson, Markleeville and federal district court on behalf of ski area clients.

McKINLEY & SMITH is experienced in significant and complex cases involving serious burns, electrical injuries, spinal injuries, brain injuries, wrongful death, paralysis, broken limbs, disfigurement, and permanent disability. We represent victims of automobile and motorcycle accidents (collisions), semi-truck collisions, construction site injuries, fires, power line contacts, mold and toxic exposure. We accept select medical malpractice cases. We also represent victims of bad faith by insurance companies.

McKINLEY & SMITH has special experience in representing children who are seriously injured. We often assist our clients in fighting misconduct by insurance carriers. We occasionally will take on cases involving civil rights or employment issues. We have also represented clients injured by other types of professional malpractice, including attorney, real estate and insurance broker malpractice. We have litigated especially large cases (involving catastrophic injuries) against PG&E, varioius public agencies, against a tour bus company, and against construction and trucking companies, health care providers, HMOs and other insurance companies.

McKINLEY & SMITH retains top experts in the fields of medicine, engineering, accounting and various scientific specialties in order to evaluate and present claims involving serious personal injury.

McKINLEY & SMITH also represents clients before all California courts of appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and the California Supreme Court. Both Tim Smith and William McKinley are licensed to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Our published cases include the following:

McKINLEY & SMITH is passionate about who we represent and what we do. We enjoy helping people by seeking justice. We try to live by Micah 6:8: to love mercy and to humbly pursue justice. We are actively involved in an international society of Christian attorneys and judges, known as the Christian Legal Society (CLS). The motto of CLS is "Doing Justice with the Love of God." We are involved in the American Trial Lawyer's Association (ATLA), and the Consumer Attorneys of California.