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Todd Smith

Todd G. Smith

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Meet Todd

Throughout his career, Todd has helped clients resolve their most difficult commercial disputes, including those involving employee benefits and insurance coverage. His practice emphasizes advising lawyers and law firms regarding their professional responsibilities, ethics, and loss prevention practices. Todd is the leader of the firm's ERISA Litigation Practice Group and serves as the firm’s General Counsel. 

Todd's employee benefits litigation practice focuses on representing plans and employer sponsors in disputes involving benefits provided pursuant to self-funded arrangements, including welfare and retirement benefits plans subject to regulation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. His experience in this area has helped him successfully defend ERISA plans against suits seeking benefits as well as claims alleging breach of fiduciary duties. Todd also represents insurance companies in ERISA litigation seeking life, health and disability benefits under insurance policies. He also helps his clients out of court, advising plan sponsors and benefits committees on recent ERISA developments.

Todd also represents Wisconsin insurers in litigation, with a focus on complex coverage matters, including claims involving sexual misconduct, construction defects and environmental contamination. He has helped clients revise their policy language and claims procedures and has testified before the Wisconsin legislature on proposed legislation affecting the insurance industry.

Over his 25+ year legal career, Todd has developed significant expertise advising lawyers and their firms on ethics issues. He counsels attorneys regarding their professional responsibilities as issues arise in real time, and also represents attorneys involved in matters of professional discipline. Todd has extensive experience advising law firms on best practices and loss prevention strategies. 

Todd is a former chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin and has argued cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Wisconsin Court of Appeals and Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, in a wide variety of cases. Most recently, Todd was appointed to the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Professional Ethics Committee.

Todd is a cum laude graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He has worked as a legislative aide in the United States Senate and Wisconsin State Senate, and is a member of the Defense Research Institute as well as the Wisconsin Defense Counsel.

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Madison

One East Main StreetSuite 500Madison, WI 53703

608.257.0609608.257.0609

Lauren Kowalk

608.284.2260608.284.2260