Charisse L. Smith

Associate

Ontario
3500 Porsche Way
Suite 200

TEL: (909) 466-4913
Charisse.Smith@bbklaw.com

General Bio

Municipal & Redevelopment Law Practice

Ms. Smith is an Associate in the Ontario office of Best Best & Krieger LLP.  She is a member of the Litigation and Municipal and Redevelopment Law practice groups.  Ms. Smith has experience with resolving general business disputes, as well as disputes involving California franchise laws.  She routinely deals with litigation for the appointment of receivers to oversee the rehabilitation of substandard housing under Health and Safety Code Section 17980.7 and complex nuisance litigation involving commercial businesses.
           
Ms. Smith provides counsel to the Ontario Code Enforcement Department at administrative nuisance abatement proceedings.  She has also successfully petitioned the court for receivers over several substandard single family and multi-unit dwellings in Ontario, Moreno Valley, Montebello and Rialto, as well as obtaining injunctive relief against property owners who violate municipal codes.  Additionally, Ms. Smith provides counsel to a wide variety of business clients ranging in scope from collection matters to complex multi-million dollar litigation.  These cases include contract, tort and civil rights causes of action.

Ms. Smith received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California Law School.  While in law school, she participated in the Hale Moot Court Honors Program.  Ms. Smith also worked as an extern for Judge Mitchel R. Goldberg at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California.  Ms. Smith holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Legal Studies from Claremont  McKenna College where she graduated, magna cum laude, in 1997.

Ms. Smith is a member of the State Bar of California, the American Bar Association, the Western San Bernardino County Bar Association and the Riverside County Bar Association and is admitted to practice with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the Southern District of California, and the United States Supreme Court.

Bar & Court Admissions

• California, 2001

Education

• JD, University of Southern California Law School
• BA, Claremont McKenna College, Claremont