Hare Wynn’s Tempe Smith Named 2017 Rising Star Lawyer by Birmingham Business Journal

Hare Wynn Associate, Tempe Smith, has been named to the Birmingham Business Journal’s Rising Stars of Law for 2017. This award is given to up-and-coming leaders in the Birmingham legal community. Honorees are selected based on their contributions to their firm, tangible results in their practice areas and involvement in the community, among other factors.

“Tempe was selected for this honor because of her proven talent and ability to add value to the team approach the firm takes with substantial cases involving the largest defense firms and corporations in the world,” said Leon Ashford, the firm’s managing partner. “Tempe’s tireless work ethic and dedication to her client’s cause are truly inspiring. We are proud to have her at Hare Wynn and look forward to the next challenge for our latest ‘Rising Star’.”

Smith joined Hare Wynn in 2015 and works primarily in the areas of class action and mass tort litigation. In 2017, she was a part of a trial team that successfully represented the nation’s corn growers in the first of eight-certified state class action lawsuits against Syngenta, resulting in a verdict of nearly $218 million.

Prior to working on behalf of America’s corn farmers, Smith worked as part of a team of Hare Wynn lawyers who represented a nationwide class of people and companies that were defrauded in the settlement of a class action. After 13 years of litigation, the Hare Wynn team obtained a $310 million settlement on behalf of the class.

Smith also has experience helping States’ Attorneys General seek justice on behalf of their citizens. She and several other Hare Wynn lawyers worked with the Attorneys General of Montana and Alaska to negotiate consumer protection settlements related to drug misbranding in both states. These settlements resulted in a payout of $15.25 million to the state of Alaska and $16.7 million to the state of Montana.

Smith serves as an Executive Committee Member of the Young Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association and is a member of the American Bar Association as well as the Alabama Association for Justice. In 2017, she was recognized by B-Metro Magazine as a Top Female Attorney.