Meet our Attorneys

William L. “Bill” Smith

Bill is a lifelong resident of Idaho. Hailing from the Magic Valley, he graduated from Kimberly High School and attended Albertson College of Idaho, the College of Southern Idaho, and the University of Idaho.

Bill is a 1997 graduate of the University of Idaho and a 1999 graduate of the University of Idaho, College of Law.  He is admitted to practice in all courts in the State of Idaho as well as the United States Court of Federal Claims.

During and after law school, Bill clerked for the late Honorable J. William Hart, District Judge, in Idaho’s Fifth Judicial District.  During his time serving the Judge, Bill was involved with the administration of many jury trials, court trials, hearings, and status conferences. Judge Hart was also a pioneer in mediating disputes at that time in the late 2000s.  Judge Hart is a great Idaho icon and his mentorship instilled in Bill a strong love of justice and the Courtroom.

Following his clerkship in 2000, Bill entered private practice in Twin Falls, Idaho. He was blessed to have an opportunity to experience a general practice and insurance defense firm in the collegial “small town” environment with one of the most respected and well-established law firms in Idaho.

After moving to Boise in 2003, Bill joined a law firm focused on construction and real estate law.
His law practice focused on the areas of real estate, real estate transactions, construction law, commercial litigation, complex litigation, business law, business formations, collections, bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, finance, and employment law.

In 2007 Bill left his position as a partner with a large Boise law firm to found what has come to be known as “Smith Horras, P.A.”   Since 2007, Smith Horras, P.A. has added several talented trial lawyers and paraprofessionals and substantially narrowed the practice to focus on assisting victims of personal injury.

Bill is an Eagle Member of the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association; a Member of the American Association for Justice; a Member of the Federal Bar Association; an Active Member of the Idaho Bar Association; an Associate Member of the Building Contractors Association of Southwest Idaho; a member of several sections of the Idaho Bar Association and the American Association for Justice.

Bill is a passionate reader, mover, and influencer. A highly kinesthetic person, he loves games and sport of all types.  Bill serves as guardian ad litem in the local Courts, writes and lectures in various forums on legal issues, and volunteers in the local schools. He enjoys telling stories and studying storytelling. He also runs ultra-marathons, plays competitive golf, and trains dogs. In addition, Bill has been known to produce films, writes screenplays, and get tricked into acting sometimes.

His latest passion is the application of virtual reality to improving legal practice.

Ellen N. Smith

Ellen was born and raised in Idaho and graduated from Bishop Kelly High School.  Ellen attended college at the University of Idaho, earning a degree in Theatre Arts. She then continued to the University of Idaho College of Law, graduating in 1999.  Currently, Ellen is admitted to practice in all courts in the State of Idaho.

After law school, Ellen served as a law clerk for the late Honorable J. William Hart, District Judge, in Idaho’s Fifth Judicial District.  During this time, Ellen was involved with the administration of many jury trials, court trials, hearings, and status conferences. Following her clerkship in 2000, Ellen worked hard as a Jerome County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for two years where she gained additional jury trial experience. Thereafter, she entered private practice in Twin Falls, Idaho.

After moving to Boise in 2003, Ellen began further exploring other areas of law and obtained significant experience in worker’s compensation and family law, as well as general civil litigation and criminal defense.

In 2008, Ellen joined her husband to become a partner at her current firm that has come to be known as “Smith Horras, P.A.”   Since 2008 Smith Horras, P.A. has added other talented trial lawyers and paraprofessionals to primarily focus the practice on assisting victims suffering from personal injuries. Ellen’s practice also includes assisting folks in adopting children, one of her true passions.

Ellen Smith is a member of the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association; a Member of the Federal Bar Association; an Active Member of the Idaho Bar Association; and a member of several sections of the Idaho Bar Association. In addition, Ellen recently became certified as a family law mediator in 2019.

Ellen enjoys many artistic endeavors including singing and drawing.  As of late, however, Ellen’s active artistic career has led her to study and pursue acting in films. Ellen’s favorite types of films to work on are independent, meaningful projects that give back to the community in their messaging.  Ellen is an active member of IMDb.

Joseph T. Horras

Joe obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in finance in 1999 from the University of Idaho and Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and obtained his Law Degree from the University of Idaho College of Law in 2004.

Joe is admitted to practice within all Courts of Idaho, the United States District Court for the District of Idaho, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Joe’s legal practice focuses on advocating for victims of catastrophic and personal injury, wrongful death, and criminal defense.  His focus is on advocating for those who are denied access or equal justice based on one’s status as LGBTQ+, those economically deprived, and those who are deprived of human rights based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, and gender.

Joe has prevailed in many cases and jury trials including arguing and prevailing before the Ninth Circuit En Banc in San Francisco, California in 2016.

Joe is a member of the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association and the Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Joe is a past member of The Friends of Zoo Boise Board. In his free time, Joe enjoys improv, opera, ballet, Broadway musicals, jogging, boating, watching college football, coaching Friday Night Flag Football, and spending time with his three children and two dogs.