Gerson H. Smoger has tried cases and argued appeals throughout the United States, including before multiple state supreme courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. His trial specialty has been in consumer fraud, personal injury, and toxic tort litigation, with cases in this area including childhood lead exposure, groundwater pollution, air contamination, and issues of global warming. He also represented Admiral Zumwalt and the Agent Orange Coordinating Council in getting benefits for Vietnam veterans for Agent Orange exposure.
Currently, he serves as Board Chair of Physicians for Human Rights; on the executive committees of the boards of Public Citizen and The Conversation U.S.; on the board of Public Justice as a past-President; on the advisory boards of Y Analytics, the Civil Justice Research Initiative at Berkeley Law, and Berkeley’s Human Rights Center. He has been voted the national Trial Lawyer of the Year, named Missouri Environmentalist of the Year, received the American Association for Justice’s (AAJ) Harry Philo Award (recognizing “an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the civil justice system and whose work has advanced the safety and protection of American consumers”), and been one of only three lawyers to be honored with Public Justice’s Legacy Award.
Dr. Smoger received his J.D. from Berkeley Law and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Texas and California bars, founding the law firm of Smoger & Associates with offices in Texas and California. He has also written the musical play, “Some People Hear Thunder.”
Education
J.D., Berkeley Law (1977)
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania (1981)