Wesley Hill
Wesley Hill has spent more than 20 years as a primary player in arguably the busiest complex litigation docket in the country - the Eastern District of Texas. Over those years, Mr. Hill made his reputation as an effective trial lawyer in more than 30 trials to verdict, earning fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers, Associate rank in the American Board of Trial Advocates, and numerous other legal industry accolades as evidence of his trial skills. To accumulate those trial numbers, Mr. Hill has been counsel of record in over 1100 cases in Texas state and federal courts, split nearly evenly between plaintiff and defense clients. Patent infringement, trade secrets, contracts, fraud, trademarks, false claims act, class actions, business partnerships - Mr. Hill has worked to help develop, resolve, or try cases embracing these and many other areas of law. During these years of work, Mr. Hill has helped negotiate settlements in hundreds of cases, gaining lessons and insights from many of the top deal lawyers and mediators in the country along the way. Appreciatively schooled by those unique learning opportunities, Mr. Hill now applies those lessons and insights in his own dispute resolution practice.
Board certified in civil trial law, Mr. Hill served as chairman of the Eastern District of Texas Local Rules Advisory Committee from 2009 to 2025, practiced trial law as a name partner in Ward, Smith & Hill, PLLC, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable T. John Ward, former United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas.
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Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
American Board of Trial Advocates, Associate
Best Lawyers in America, BL Rankings, 2018-2025
Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2016-2025
Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters, 2011-2016
LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, AV Peer Review Rating
Texas Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
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Former Name Partner - Ward, Smith & Hill, PLLC
Former Trial Lawyer - Ireland, Carroll & Kelley, PC
Former Law Clerk - Hon. T. John Ward, United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas
Texas Tech Univeristy School of Law, JD (Summa Cum Laude) 2001
The University of Texas at Tyler, BA(Summa Cum Laude) 1998
Admitted in all Texas state and federal courts
Qualified impartial third party under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code sec. 154.052(a)
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Conspiracy Theory: An Underused Rabbit Hole to Admissibility, The Advocate, State Bar of Texas Litigation Section Report, Vol. 104, Fall 2023, at 33
“Biased? – Depends on Who’s Asking – Texas-style Voir Dire,” EDTX Bench Bar Conference, 2022
Looking Down from Above. What Mere Mortals Could Do Better as Seen from on High., Moderator of Appellate Judges’ Panel Discussion of Trial Tips, EDTX Bench Bar Conference, 2019
Trying Complicated or Technical Cases to East Texas Juries. The Do’s, The Don’ts and The Maybes. Unpacking the Race to Credibility, EDTX Bench Bar Conference, 2018
2018 Federal Court Practice Update, Smith County Bar Association, 2018
Getting In and Getting Out of Texas, EDTX Bench Bar Conference, 2017
Patent Venue Issues After TC Heartland, Dallas Bar Association, 2017
Federal Practice in the Eastern District of Texas, Smith County Bar Association, 2017
Revisions to the Local Rules, Standing Orders & Thoughts on Timing of PTAB Petitions & Stays Pending Inter Partes Review, Eastern District Bench Bar Conference, 2016
Local Rules & the Local Rules Process, Eastern District Bench Bar Conference, 2015
Focus Groups and Mock Trials: Best Practices in Patent Litigation, 52nd Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, The Center for American and International Law, 2014
ED Texas Local Rules Committee: A New Model Order, Eastern District Bench Bar Conference jointly with the Federal Circuit Bar Association, 2013
Risk Management & Intellectual Property Issues, 2012 Symposium on Global Markets, The Center for American and International Law, 2012
Balancing the Economics of Discovery, Eastern District Bench Bar Conference jointly with the Federal Circuit Bar Association, 2011
EDTX Patent Litigation: Why It’s Here, How It Works, Where It’s Going & A Federal Rules Update, Smith County Bar Association, 2010
The Joint Defense Group in Patent Litigation: Necessary Evil or Useful Asset, Practicing Law Institute, 2010
Winning Strategies in the Eastern District of Texas, Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, 2008
Texas Eastern District Federal Court Update, Smith County Bar Association, 2008
Cost Shifting in Electronic Discovery, Litigation in the High Tech Industry, State Bar of Texas, 2004
Electronic Filing and Case Management, Eastern District of Texas CLE, 2004
