Jay Smith

Voice: (323) 938-3000 x350
Fax: (323) 937-9139

Experience

Jay is a shareholder in Gilbert & Sackman, and joined the firm in 1993. Jay has represented labor unions and their members for over 25 years. He was previously a partner in the Birmingham, Alabama law firm of Cooper, Mitch, Crawford, Kuykendall & Whatley. Jay has represented the United Steelworkers for many years, and serves as USW's District Counsel for the 11 western states. Jay also represents other labor organizations, including many USW local unions and several entertainment unions. He appears regularly in federal and state courts, before the NLRB and PERB, before arbitrators, and in collective bargaining negotiations. He also represents plaintiffs in class action litigation, primarily in claims involving employee benefits and wage and hour laws. He has participated in special litigation projects in the firm's Taft-Hartley/ERISA benefits practice. Finally, Jay provides training in labor and employment topics to unions' professional staffs, local union officers and stewards.

Education

• University of Alabama School of Law (J.D.,1983)
• Harvard University (B.A., 1980)

Publications

• Contributing author of Employee Benefits Law, 2d Ed. (BNA and ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law, 2000)

Memberships

• AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee
• California and Alabama State Bars
• California State Bar Labor and Employment Section
• Los Angeles County Bar Association Labor and Employment Section
• National Lawyers Guild

Teaching Experience

• Jay is a frequent lecturer in topics involving private-sector labor law, employment law and ERISA. He has spoken at seminars sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the State Bar of Alabama, the Orange County Industrial Relations Research Association, the United Steelworkers, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the Cumberland School of Law, and Los Angeles Trade and Technical College.