Renowned Fresno attorney Willie Smith dies

William J. “Willie” Smith, a Fresno attorney known for advocating for minorities, has died.

Mr. Smith, 69, started his own firm, Smith Johnson Inc., in Fresno in 1978 and was a pioneer in sexual harassment and discrimination litigation.

He died on Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Melvin Richtel, a retired Fresno-based attorney, attended UCLA law school with Mr. Smith and worked alongside him for more than 20 years.

When Mr. Smith approached Richtel in the ’80s about working with him on what he thought could be a big case concerning women being sexually harassed at work, Richtel agreed but said, “what’s sexual harassment?”

“He was way ahead of the game, and it proved to be quite a big deal,” Richtel said.

Mr. Smith went on to make sexual harassment and workplace discrimination — based on gender, age and racial bias — his expertise, long before the issues were mainstream. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Mr. Smith and Richtel’s work on the high-profile Rivera v. NIBCO case, brought by 23 Latina and Asian women who were fired from the Fresno factory in 1999 because of their inability to speak fluent English, even though it had not prevented them from successfully performing their jobs.

Richtel said practicing law was actually Mr. Smith’s backup plan, though. After playing on the football team at UCLA, he was drafted by the NFL but didn’t get to play professionally because of a serious car accident.

“He was my best friend and just one of the best people I ever met in my life. He was also one of the most devastating cross-examiners I ever encountered,” Richtel said. “He was a spellbinding speaker — just something to behold. Wherever he went, people gravitated toward him.”

Mr. Smith also worked for a few years at the National Labor Relations Board and served a term as president of the Fresno County Bar Association, in addition to spending nearly 30 years on the board of trustees at the State Center Community College District.

Local attorney Melissa White, also a former president of the Fresno County Bar Association, said Mr. Smith was a trailblazer in many ways and was one of the first black attorneys to practice in Fresno.

“He made a huge difference in Fresno and across the state. He was one of our most influential attorneys, that’s for sure, and was known as a very ethical man,” White said. “When he spoke, he took command of any room — not in an offensive way. It was his presence, like you could just trust him. I can see why he was such a successful litigator.”

Bill Stewart, interim chancellor at the State Center Community College District, called Mr. Smith the definition of a gentleman.

“I will always remember Willie Smith as a dedicated, superb board member. He had a real talent for being able to bring people with different points of view together to work for the common good,” Stewart said. “He was a person that loved students, faculty and staff and always treated them with courtesy, understanding and respect at the board table and in daily life.”

Teresa Patterson, former executive director of public and legislative relations for State Center, said many people would call Mr. Smith “the most interesting man in the world.”

“He was the smartest, funniest man I ever met in my life,” she said. “He was also a brilliant attorney with a strong sense of justice.”

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Renowned Fresno attorney Willie Smith dies."