About The Law Offices of Smith & White, PLLC
By researching the best attorney to fit the needs of you or your loved one, you’re already helping your defense. Choosing a criminal defense attorney that will represent your rights in court is one of the most important decisions of your life, and careful selection is paramount to ensuring the strongest case you can bring.
Criminal Defense That Stands With You
The Law Offices of Smith & White, PLLC, provides criminal defense representation for people facing charges in Tacoma and surrounding communities. When your freedom, career, reputation, or family may be affected by a criminal case, you need an attorney who will listen to your concerns, explain your options, and carefully evaluate the evidence against you.
Smith & White handles a broad range of criminal matters, including DUI, domestic violence, assault, drug offenses, weapons charges, and serious felonies. We take pride in providing practical, supportive counsel while building each defense around the facts and circumstances of the individual case.
Defenders For The South Sound Region and Beyond
Smith & White operates from its main office in Tacoma and represents clients in courts throughout Pierce County and surrounding areas, including Thurston, Kitsap, and southern King counties.
Attorney James White has spent his career in criminal defense. He previously worked as a public defender in King County and practiced DUI defense before returning to private practice in Tacoma and Pierce County. His experience includes DUI, felony defense, domestic violence cases, and criminal matters that may affect a client’s immigration status.
Smith & White was founded by James White and Derek Smith, whose different professional backgrounds helped shape the firm’s approach to criminal defense. Derek previously served as a prosecutor, judge pro tem, and criminal defense attorney before his passing in 2026. His courtroom experience, knowledge of Washington firearms law, and years of work throughout the region remain an important part of the firm’s history.
The firm continues under the Smith & White name and carries forward the practice and reputation they built together.
Read more about our legal team and their credentials:
Telling Your Story To Protect Your Future
Criminal cases are rarely defined by a police report alone. The circumstances surrounding an accusation, the evidence that exists, and the parts of the story that may have been overlooked can all matter.
Smith & White focuses exclusively on criminal defense. Clients work with an experienced criminal defense attorney supported by a dedicated legal team that carefully reviews the facts, evidence, and legal issues involved in each case.
Our goal is to help clients understand what they are facing and develop a strategy focused on protecting their rights and future. Depending on the case, that may involve challenging the prosecution’s evidence, negotiating for reduced charges or penalties, or preparing to take the matter to trial.
The First Meeting With A Defense Lawyer
Most people have had the experience of a first date. Butterflies about what to share and what to ask. Will this person be a good match or a dead end? Most people have also experienced the anxiety of finding a new car mechanic. Can this person do the job I need them to do? Will they be honest with me and earnest in their work, or will they just take my money without fixing the problem?
The first meeting with a defense attorney may feel emotionally similar to those situations. And it’s even more stressful because your life and potential freedom are on the line. At Smith & White, we understand that first impressions are important. We do our best to provide a calm and relaxed atmosphere for our consultations, knowing that potential clients may find the experience intimidating and overwhelming, especially if you have never been to court or never been in trouble with the law.
We take the time to explain everything in detail and in plain language, so that you understand your situation, what will happen at each stage of the process and how to best move forward. As your legal counsel it is our duty to represent you and defend your dignity before the court and through the whole legal proceeding. You should bring any documents in your possession that pertain to your criminal case. We will take it from there.
Free Consultations And Affordable Defense
We believe that everyone should have access to excellent legal representation. Therefore, we price our legal fees to be extremely competitive. We accept all major credit cards and regularly arrange payment plans.
We know that people make mistakes and bad decisions. Police make errors. Prosecutors and judges make assumptions. The criminal justice system doesn’t always treat everyone equally. We want to give you every chance to be treated justly. The Law Offices of Smith & White, PLLC, offers an expert consultation, no matter what your offenses or history. Call us today at (253) 203-1645 or use the email form to reach out today.