Johnny Ward

Having served as a trial attorney in more than 40 jury trials involving a variety of challenging legal issues, Johnny Ward is one of the most distinguished trial lawyers in East Texas. Mr. Ward has successfully tried a wide variety of complex cases to verdict, including numerous patent infringement, breach of contract and fiduciary duty, consumer dispute, personal injury, wrongful death and survival claim, and civil rights cases. In the process, Mr. Ward has secured a string of major courtroom victories against some of the world's most recognizable companies, including Apple, Samsung, Verizon, and Microsoft.

Mr. Ward's courtroom work has earned him a national reputation in high-stakes litigation, as evidenced by his AV Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbel and recognition as a Texas Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine in every year since the existence of the publication. In 2012, at the age of 41, he was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Ward is frequently called on by law firms throughout the nation to provide his knowledge and skill in complex cases before East Texas juries.

A member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and a sustaining member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Mr. Ward is admitted to practice before the 5th and 6th Circuit United States Courts of Appeals; and the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, and Western Districts. He graduated with distinction from the University of Oklahoma in 1992 and Texas Tech Law School in 1995 (Magna Cum Laude), before clerking for the Hon. Robert M. Parker (Ret.) with the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Texas Tech University School of Law
Juris Doctorate, 1995

T. John Ward

Judge Ward served as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas for 12 years from September 24, 1999 until his retirement on October 1, 2011. During his 12-year tenure, Judge Ward presided over cases in the Marshall, Tyler, and Texarkana divisions and had one of the heaviest intellectual property dockets in the country. Judge Ward conducted over 150 jury trials, presided over hundreds of patent cases, including Hatch-Waxman cases, and held in excess of 150 claim construction hearings. Judge Ward also presided over numerous complex commercial cases and nation-wide class action lawsuits. A list of some of Judge Ward's notable opinions appears below.

During his tenure, Judge Ward was appointed by Chief Justice Rehnquist of the Supreme Court to serve as a member of the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Court Management from October 2003 to October 2006 and was then reappointed by Chief Justice Roberts to serve a second term from October 2006 to October 2009. Judge Ward served as a member of the National Patent Jury Instruction Project at the request of Chief Judge Paul R. Michel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This project was completed in June 2009, and the results may be found at http://www.nationaljuryinstructions.org/. The American Inns of Court, in cooperation with the members of the local bar, chartered the Honorable T. John Ward American Inn of Court for East Texas in 2006. In 2009, the Texas Chapters of American Board of Trial Advocates named Judge Ward Trial Judge of the Year. Judge Ward was selected as one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in IP by a publication of American Lawyer magazine in 2010 and was also presented the award for Outstanding Achievement in Intellectual Property for 2012 by Managing Intellectual Property magazine. In 2004, Baylor University named Judge Ward Baylor Lawyer of the Year.

Judge Ward served on the Board of Governors of the Fifth Circuit Bar Association from 1987 to 1991 and from 1996 to 1999. Judge Ward is also a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a long-time Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (1986-1999 and Oct. 2011-present), where he also served as a Judicial Fellow during his years on the bench (1999-Oct. 2011), and an Advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocates (1990-present). In 2013, Judge Ward was inducted into the International Academy of Trial Layers.

Prior to his service as a District Judge, Judge Ward was a practicing trial attorney for 31 years, during which time he tried in excess of 250 cases. Judge Ward is now a partner at Ward and Smith Law Firm in Longview, Texas. His litigation practice focuses on patent and other complex commercial cases as well as mediation and arbitration. Judge Ward also conducts mock trials and markman hearings for clients in patent cases.

Judge Ward is a graduate of Texas Tech University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry in 1964. He then went on to obtain his law degree from Baylor University in 1967. Judge Ward is licensed to practice law in Texas and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas. Judge Ward has completed the Mediation Workshop at Harvard Law School. In April 2013, he served on the faculty of the Patent Litigation Seminar presented by the Federal Judicial Center for U.S. District Judges.

Practice Areas
-Intellectual Property
-Mediation & Arbitration
-Oil & Gas Law
-Complex Commercial Litigation

Baylor University School of Law
Juris Doctorate, 1967

Bruce A. Smith

With 36 years' experience in civil litigation, Bruce Smith offers mediation services and represents clients in cases involving auto accidents, business torts, breach of contract, commercial disputes, products liability, insurance claims, and deceptive trade practices. Since 1986, Mr. Smith has tried more than 60 cases to verdict.In 1992, Mr. Smith earned Board Certification from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law. He has been re-certified in 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2022. The distinction of Board Certification in Personal Injury Trial Law is held by fewer than 3% of licensed Texas attorneys.Mr. Smith has been recognized and selected by his peers to the Texas Super Lawyers list for over 5 years, and he maintains an "AV" rating from Lexis Nexis Martindale-Hubbell, the highest ranking offered by the independent guide to the country's top lawyers. In 2015, he was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honor held by less than 1% of lawyers in the country.

Baylor University Law School
Juris Doctorate, 1986

Brett F. Miller

Brett Miller enjoys a diverse litigation practice with an emphasis on business litigation, employment disputes, and family law. His business litigation practice includes ownership disputes, breach of contract and fraud claims, and fiduciary duty cases. Mr. Miller routinely represents employers and employees in disputes over covenants not-to-compete and trade secrets, and he has defended employers accused of employment discrimination. Mr. Miller leads Ward, Smith & Hill's family law practice, including representing clients in divorce proceedings involving complex property issues and child custody disputes. He also has significant experience representing clients in lawsuits over real estate, personal injuries, and oil and gas matters.

Mr. Miller joined Ward, Smith & Hill in 2014 after practicing civil litigation in Fort Worth for six years, where he was mentored by two of Fort Worth's most distinguished trial lawyers. In 2011-2012 and 2020-2023, Mr. Miller was named to the Texas Rising Stars list of the state's top young lawyers, featured in Texas Monthly magazine. A companion to the annual Texas Super Lawyers list, Texas Rising Stars includes no more than 2.5 percent of eligible Texas attorneys.

Mr. Miller was born and raised in Longview, Texas. He earned his business degree, magna cum laude, from Texas Christian University and received his law degree, cum laude, from Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law.

Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Juris Doctorate, 2008

Welsey Hill

Board certified in civil trial law, Wesley Hill balances a trial practice in intellectual property litigation, business disputes, and federal criminal defense. With more than 30 trials to his credit, including over 20 patent cases, Mr. Hill brings broad courtroom experience to every case he handles. That broad experience and trial skill has also earned him fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Mr. Hill's trial successes include significant plaintiff's verdicts as well as no-liability findings for defense clients. Most recently, he helped obtain a substantial damage award and willful patent infringement verdict for Seagen against Daiichi Sankyo. Other recent trial successes include a defense win for Alixa Rx and Golden Living Centers, defeating claims by Tech Pharmacy for patent infringement, fraud, and theft of trade secrets. Mr. Hill has also successfully litigated and resolved cases involving the false claims act, franchise operations, business partnerships, breach of contract, and oil and gas issues. Based on his federal criminal defense experience, Mr. Hill often advises clients in cases with overlapping civil and criminal liability. Having assisted clients with the resolution of hundreds of cases, Mr. Hill understands how to identify clients' priorities and achieve their objectives, whether through litigation, settlement, or trial.

A former briefing attorney to the Honorable T. John Ward, former United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, Mr. Hill is chairman of the Eastern District of Texas Local Rules Committee and is intimately familiar with practice in the district. He graduated second in his law school class at Texas Tech University (J.D., 2001) and received the Texas Young Lawyers Association State Moot Court Best Advocate Award. A native East Texan, Mr. Hill also is a graduate of the University of Texas at Tyler (B.A., 1998).

Texas Tech University School of Law
Juris Doctorate, 2001

Claire Abernathy Henry

Claire Abernathy Henry is a partner at Ward, Smith & Hill, PLLC and a native of Longview, Texas. Ms. Henry has 15 years of experience in complex commercial litigation and patent litigation in Texas courts. Before joining Ward, Smith & Hill, Ms. Henry served as a briefing attorney to the Honorable T. John Ward, former U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, one of the busiest patent litigation courts in the nation. Ms. Henry has extensive knowledge of federal court practice and patent litigation in the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. For the past decade, Ms. Henry has represented plaintiffs and defendants in commercial disputes, securities litigation, False Claims Act cases, anti-trust litigation, and class actions as well as high-stakes patent litigation in courts in the Eastern and Western District of Texas. Ms. Henry has been involved in dozens of patent trials, and her trial experience includes jury selection, opening and closing statements, and direct and cross examinations of expert and fact witnesses.

Ms. Henry's experience has earned her recognition as a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star every year from 2012 through 2019 and as a Texas Super Lawyer in 2021 and 2022. She was also named among the Top 100 Up-and-Coming Attorneys in Texas as well as the Top 50 Up-and-Coming Females in Texas in 2018 and 2019. Ms. Henry is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a member of The Honorable T. John Ward American Inn of Court.

Although a native of East Texas, Ms. Henry attended Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts for high school, where she graduated magna cum laude. Ms. Henry graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Vanderbilt University in 2002, before earning her law degree from Stanford Law School in 2005. Ms. Henry is married to David Henry, a partner at Carroll, Maloney, Henry, & Nelson PLLC. They have two daughters.Ms. Henry is active in the East Texas community and has been on numerous boards, including the Board of Directors of the Longview Economic Development Corporation, Newgate Homeless Mission, ArtsView Children's Theatre, The Longview Museum of Fine Arts, and the Johnson Foundation. Ms. Henry attends First United Methodist Church in Longview, where she serves on the Board of Trustees. Ms. Henry has also served as a volunteer for the Vanderbilt University Commodore Recruitment Program. While attending law school, Ms. Henry volunteered as a sexual assault counselor and victim’s advocate.

Stanford Law School
Juris Doctorate, 2005

Garrett Parish

Attorney Garrett Parish joins the legal team at Ward, Smith & Hill, where his legal practice will focus on patent litigation and high-stakes, complex commercial litigation. Prior to joining Ward, Smith & Hill, Mr. Parish represented clients in a variety of commercial and patent litigation disputes in Dallas, Texas. He also earned experience as an extern for the Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn of the U.S District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Mr. Parish earned a Bachelor of Science degree with great distinction from Texas A&M University. Mr. Parish earned his law degree with great distinction from Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, where he served as Associate Managing Editor for the SMU Law Review Association and as a Director for the Board of Advocates.

Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
J.D., magna cum laude, 2021

Andrea Fair

Andrea Fair wanted to get out of the city and into the courtroom in 2016, after several years of practice at a major Houston-based law firm. Moving to Ward, Smith & Hill was the perfect opportunity to advance her professional career and achieve an enhanced work-life balance for her family.

With a focus on intellectual property litigation, Andrea thrives in developing trial strategies and presentations that assemble the facts to tell a story that properly reflects the importance of each case and the personalities of the individual witnesses. Andrea believes her work is more art than science. She looks at every new case with a fresh set of eyes, adapting to the particular circumstances of each client and jury.

She applies those skills in jury selection, examining and cross-examining fact and expert witnesses, and handling opening and closing arguments. She also regularly prepares briefings and handles oral arguments for pre-trial, discovery, and post-trial motions.

A native of Katy, Texas, Andrea was inspired to consider a legal career based on conversations she had as a teenager with her uncle, an attorney who now serves as a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court. Even at a young age she would absorb the details and develop arguments and counterarguments, indicative of a desire to learn that she brings to her work every day.

The University of Texas School of Law
J.D., High Honors, 2011

Chad Everingham

Charles "Chad" Everingham IV has had an extensive career in both public service and private practice handling patent litigation and other intellectual property and commercial disputes. A former magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Texas, one of the busiest patent litigation courts in the nation, Mr. Everingham conducted Markman proceedings and complex patent trials involving medical devices, computer hardware and software, recreational equipment, advanced electronics, semiconductors, and automotive products.

Since his return to private practice in 2011, Mr. Everingham has litigated a wide variety of intellectual property matters and other business disputes for clients ranging from individuals to large corporations. He has defended clients against claims of patent infringement in the consumer electronics, telecommunications, energy, hospitality, and software industries. He also has successfully prosecuted claims for trade secret misappropriation on behalf of a Texas neurosurgeon involving spinal implant technology.

His work has earned recognition as a leading practitioner in intellectual property law, most recently by Texas Super Lawyers and Chambers USA. Mr. Everingham also has been recognized for his IP and patent litigation work by The Best Lawyers in America since 2018.

Mr. Everingham grew up in East Texas and received his undergraduate degree from Stephen F. Austin State University. A graduate of Baylor University School of Law, he served as a permanent law clerk to Judge T. John Ward during his term in the Eastern District of Texas.

Baylor University School of Law
J.D., cum laude, 1993