Scott B. Smith, a managing partner at the West Palm Beach-based law firm of Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath was chosen by his peers as the 2017 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” in Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs in West Palm Beach. Through the peer review and vetting process, Smith was chosen to receive the high honor in 2017.
“Having grown up in South Florida, specifically in Palm Beach County, it is truly an honor for me to be recognized by my fellow members of the Florida Bar,” Smith says about his selection. “The state of Florida, in particular South Florida, has many great trial lawyers. To be recognized by my peers as a true litigator means a whole lot to me.”
Smith’s firm Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath practices in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, and medical malpractice. The Lytal & Reiter firm was created in 1985 and later merged with Smith, Ivey & Fronrath in 2011 to create the current powerhouse law firm of Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath. Smith and his partners take pride in the firm’s history and that the law firm has consistently and still does put all firm clients at the forefront of everything. “It all starts with the client; it is all about the client, and it all ends with the client,” Smith says when talking about the firm’s commitment and dedication to the legal and professional services provided by the firm. “We’re very proud of the success that we’ve had for all of our past clients. We’re also extremely proud of the diligent hard work that we continue to put into our existing clients’ cases.”
One very tragic, but highly publicized, matter that Smith handled was on behalf of the parents of Scott Patrick Wilson, a 23-year-old South Florida native who was killed in a horrific DUI accident in Wellington in February of 2010. In causing the fatal crash, the defendant driver ran through a stop sign at a high speed and struck Wilson’s vehicle as he was driving home for his sister’s birthday. The young man’s vehicle was pushed into a canal where he ultimately drowned. The matter gained national media attention when the defendant tried to adopt his girlfriend, a move some legal analysts described as an attempt or ploy to shield his and his family’s fortune. Smith was ultimately able to obtain a $46 million recovery on behalf of Wilson’s parents after the case was extensively litigated.
About the tragedy and his work for his clients Smith adds, “Our clients suffered an incomprehensible loss that no parent should ever have to endure. I will never forget their pain, their grief, and their sorrow. It was an honor to make the fight for and with them.”
The genuine empathy and compassion that Smith exhibits for his clients is a value that permeates firm-wide. Putting their clients first and foremost, along with helping others within and throughout the community, are trademarks of Smith and Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath and what they excel at. “We have every intention of continuing to do what we do on a daily basis with respect to fighting for our clients and helping the South Florida communities that we and our families live in and call home,” Smith says. “Our commitment and dedication in that regard will never change. That is what we know. That is who we are. That is what we do.”
