Our People

Elizabeth A. Smith-Chavez

Firm Member

Elizabeth Smith-Chavez, a shareholder of the firm, concentrates her practice on business and real property litigation, including real property disputes, securities, corporate dissolution, attorney and accountant malfeasance, probate litigation, construction defects and similar matters in both state and federal courts.


Education Background

Ms. Smith-Chavez received her B.A. from the University of Santa Clara in 1970, after attending the University of Vienna, Austria for one year. She earned her law degree, summa cum laude, from the University of San Diego in 1978.

Representative Matters

  • Represented oil and gas company in contract and property disputes, as well as trade secret and securities litigation
  • Represented large hotel owner in a multi-million dollar lease dispute with a governmental entity
  • Defended many local and regional developers in construction defect lawsuits and judicial foreclosures
  • Represented professional service firms in major securities fraud litigation
  • Represented national building-technologies company in obtaining a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in a trade-secrets case (including an order authorizing a search of the defendants’ computers)
  • Represented company founders in resolving disputes relating to funding and control of a high-tech start-up company

Professional Affiliations & Admissions

  • American Inns of Court (Master)
  • California Women Lawyers Association
  • Thomas More Society
  • Association of Business Trial Attorneys
  • Federal Bar Association, San Diego (Advisory Panel, 1994 to present)
  • State Bar of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern, Central and Northern Districts of California
  • U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Community Affiliations

  • University Club Executive Women’s Council
  • Building Industry Association
  • National Association for Industrial and Commercial Properties
  • International Forum for Corporate Directors
  • Co-Chair, SDCBA Real Property Section

Publications & Speaking Engagements

  • Instructor, California Land Surveyors Association and Western States Land Surveyors Association
  • Co-Author, West Group, California Civil Practice, Real Property Litigation (3 vol.), published April 1994, and updated semi-annually
  • Instructor, advanced arbitrator training, American Arbitration Association
  • Instructor, numerous CEB, State Bar and Rutter Group MCLE seminars

Professional Awards & Honors

  • Recognized in San Diego Super Lawyers magazine for Business Litigation law (2007-2009)
  • Recipient of the San Diego Business Journal “Women Who Mean Business Award,” in the field of law (1999)