Craig W. Smith

Partner

Craig W. Smith represents shareholders in securities fraud class actions, shareholder derivative actions, and transactional class actions.  Mr. Smith's clients include shareholders in the banking and finance, biotechnology, defense, information technology, leisure, and pharmaceutical industries.  Mr. Smith also serves as Robbins Umeda LLP's General Counsel.

Before joining Robbins Umeda in mid-2008, Mr. Smith served for four years as Regional Counsel for UBS Financial Services Inc., a global financial services company, where he advised the Regional Director and Division Manager regarding all legal and regulatory matters arising out of the company's Northern Pacific Region.

Mr. Smith spent the first decade of his career at O'Melveny & Myers LLP, a top-tier international law firm, where he defended a number of Fortune 500 companies and professional firms in securities fraud class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, SEC investigations and enforcement actions, and professional malpractice and business tort matters.  In addition to his work for corporations and professional services firms, Mr. Smith served for five years on O'Melveny & Myers' firm-wide Pro Bono Committee, approving and overseeing the firm's not-for-profit legal work. 

Mr. Smith earned his law degree from Yale Law School. While attending Yale, he interned at the United States Attorney's Office in New Haven, Connecticut, and at the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization.  Mr. Smith earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, where he was initiated into Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with highest honors in political science and highest distinction in the College of Letters and Science.

Selected Noteworthy Cases

• Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., In re Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., Derivative Litigation, No. 1:05CV041683 (Cal. Super. Ct.-Santa Clara County):  The firm represented Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in derivative shareholder litigation seeking compensation for the company for damages incurred in a multi-year criminal stock option backdating scheme.  Working closely with partners Marc Umeda and George Aguilar, Mr. Smith played a key role in persuading the company's Special Litigation Committee to prosecute claims against former officers and directors of Brocade who were involved in the options backdating scheme.  Brocade, through its Special Litigation Committee, ultimately retained the firm as co-counsel, and has recovered tens of millions of dollars and extinguished Brocade's obligation to fund the criminal defense of Brocade's former Chief Executive Officer.
• SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc., In re SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc., Shareholder Derivative Litigation, Lead Case No. 1:08CV106395 (N.D. Cal.):  The firm acted as co-lead counsel in prosecuting derivative claims on behalf of this leading GPS chipset designer and direct claims on behalf of a class of shareholders arising out its subsequent sale to UK Bluetooth application developer, CSR plc.  Alongside partner Marc Umeda, Mr. Smith succeeded in securing key disclosures necessary to enable shareholders to critically evaluate the consideration offered in the proposed transaction, the differences in rights the shareholders would have as owners of stock in a UK company, and the value of the derivative claims that would effectively be extinguished upon consummation of the merger.