Hugh N. Smith is a founding principal of Smith & Fuller, P.A. He specializes in tire failure litigation from the Plaintiff's perspective and is available to consult with counsel similarly practicing throughout the country.

Mr. Smith was graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lawrence College, and he received his law degree (LL.B.) from Duke University in 1967.

Prior to founding Smith & Fuller, P.A., he was a Special Agent for the FBI, originally assigned to Tampa, Florida, for fugitive work. He was later reassigned to investigate organized crime and racketeering in New York City. From 1969 to 1973, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida where he participated as lead counsel in over 200 jury trials. After entering the private practice of law, Mr. Smith continued to serve as a prosecutor for the federal government in his capacity as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.  Since that time, Mr. Smith has tried over 200 civil cases to verdict.

Mr. Smith was admitted to the bar in Ohio in 1967, and to the bars of Florida and the District of Columbia in 1969. He is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fifth, Sixth, and Eleventh Circuits, and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas, the Northern District of Ohio, and the Western District of Kentucky.  Mr. Smith has been specially admitted to practice pro hac vice in Texas, Utah, California, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Arizona..

Mr. Smith has held memberships and offices in a variety of legal societies, including the Hillsborough and Pinellas County Trial Lawyers Associations, the Federal Grievance Committee of the Middle District of Florida, the American Arbitration Association, and the American Bar Association. He has served as a national delegate, treasurer, and president of the Federal Bar Association, as a lawyer delegate to the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Conference, and as an arbitrator in the Middle District of Florida's Court-Annexed Arbitration Program.

Mr. Smith is a Diplomate of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and he is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer with The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education. In 1992, he was awarded the prestigious George C. Carr Memorial Award of Excellence and Distinguished Service by the Federal Bar Association in recognition of his legal achievements.

From 1981 through 1985, Mr. Smith was the chairman of the business litigation section of a major Tampa law firm. Smith & Fuller, P.A. was formed to offer a breadth and depth of litigation services and individualized attention not customarily available to businesses, professionals, and individuals in the product liability field in the Tampa Bay Area.

Mr. Smith has authored several articles relating to tire litigation and has lectured extensively before a variety of professional groups.

Diana L. Fuller is a founding principal and the President and Managing Partner of Smith & Fuller, P.A. Her practice is concentrated in the areas of product liability litigation and complex construction litigation. Ms. Fuller was graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from West Virginia University in 1972 and cum laude with a J.D. degree from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1977. While in law school, she was the Articles Editor of the West Virginia University Law Review.

Before entering the private practice of law, Ms. Fuller served for two years as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable William Terrell Hodges in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division.

Ms. Fuller was admitted to the West Virginia State Bar in 1977, and The Florida Bar in 1978, along with the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida and the Southern District of West Virginia, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, and Eleventh Circuits.

She has been an active member of a number of professional associations, including the Federal Bar Association and the American Bar Association.  She is a past chairperson, vice chair, and treasurer of the Trial Lawyers Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and she served as a national delegate to the Young Lawyers Division of the ABA. She is currently an arbitrator in the Middle District of Florida Court-Annexed Arbitration Program and a founding member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Peer Review Committee. From 1989 to 1991, she served on the National Council of the West Virginia University College of Law, and from 1989 through 2003, she served as a Master in one of the American Inns of Court. In 2001, she was certified as a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization whose membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts, awards and settlements.

Ms. Fuller has lectured extensively to groups of attorneys and design professionals, and she has authored several articles of interest to the clients whom she serves.