Vicki Smith

 PARTNER

(503) 705-3763

Vicki M. Smith loves the Pacific Northwest. She grew up in a small town in eastern Washington and spent a summer during college working in Montana at her favorite place, Glacier National Park. She enjoys training for and running marathons. Her current bucket list includes earning the Six Star Medal, which requires her to run the original six World Marathon Majors. Two down, four left. When not running, Vicki can be found attempting to grow vegetables in her garden, paddling lakes and canoe trails in central Oregon or exploring national parks with her family. 

Admitted to Practice

Oregon
Washington
U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Education

J.D., Willamette University College of Law, 2001
B.A. (International Affairs and Government), Eastern Washington University, 1998

Practice & Experience

Vicki is an experienced trial attorney who has spent over two decades managing and litigating complex civil cases. She assists clients with their disputes involving insurance coverage, product and warranty claims, civil rights, professional liability, and personal injury matters. While she regularly serves as lead counsel in trials in both state and federal courts, Vicki is equally comfortable in arbitration and alternative dispute resolution settings. 

Vicki has earned top professional recognition for her work. Martindale-Hubbell assigned her an AV® Peer Review Rating, which is the highest rating an attorney can receive for legal ability and ethical standards. Best Lawyers in America lists her in Insurance Litigation, and she has been named an Oregon Super Lawyer from 2020 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025. 

Professional & Community Activities

Defense Research Institute 

Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel 

Oregon Association of Defense Counsel 

Washington Defense Trial Lawyers 

Vicki holds leadership positions in several prestigious legal organizations. Vicki is honored to be a member of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, which is an organization of professionally distinguished civil defense attorneys and corporate executives. Vicki is Chair of the FDCC Northwest Region and serves on the Admissions and Communications Committees. She is a past Chair of the Commercial Litigation Section and State Representative for Oregon. Vicki also is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, a non-profit sister organization of the FDCC that promotes civil justice and enhances the quality of legal practice and service. 

She has been active in the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel since 2006, serving 12 years in its leadership and proudly serving as its President in 2018. Vicki is also a a long-time member of DRI and previously served as the Oregon State Representative.

Vicki also regularly presents at professional and continuing education seminars, including the following:

  • Presented at OADC’s Annual Meetings in 2024 and 2025 on the “Lighting Round-Trial Lessons Learned the Hard Way” panel,  

  • Presented at the FDCC 2024 Winter Meeting on litigation related to Environmental, Social, and Governance issues, 

  • Presented at the 2023 DRI Annual Meeting on how law firms can best prepare for uncertain times, 

  • Presented on insurance coverage considerations related to the pandemic and COVID for The Seminar Group in 2020, 

  • Presented on obstacles that arise when arbitrating and litigating disputes at the FDCC's 2019 Winter Meeting, 

  • Presented on a commercial litigation panel discussing arbitrability issues affecting claims by third parties at the FDCC’s 2018 Annual Meeting, 

  • Moderated a panel discussion on trial strategy for closing arguments at the 2017 FDCC Winter Meeting, 

  • Presented on motor vehicle dealer surety bonds at the 2016 Defense Research Institute Annual Meeting, 

  • Presented on a panel discussing motions challenging civil pleadings at a 2013 seminar co - sponsored by OADC and the Jackson County Bar Association, 

  • Presented on how to be a successful trial attorney at the 2012 OADC Annual Convention, 

  • Presented at the Oregon Professional Liability Fund’s Learning the Ropes CLE for newly admitted lawyers in 2006 and 2007.

Vicki really enjoys mentoring. For six years, she partnered with middle or high school students to read and analyze books, as part of the Multnomah Bar Association's Imprint Program. Through the nonprofit organization Girls on the Run, Vicki served as a running buddy to multiple 8- to 10-year-old girls. Vicki mentored law students at Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College for several years and was the recipient of the 2006-2007 Andrea Swanner Redding Outstanding Mentor Award. She also mentored multiple lawyers under the Oregon State Bar’s New Lawyer Mentoring Program.