Smith's father was a judge; her brother is a prosecutor; her mother worked in a law firm; and several of her cousins are attorneys. At age 18, Smith said she knew she wanted to join the family business.
Smith's first legal job was in the accounting department of Steptoe & Johnson, LLP. During college, she earned her paralegal certificate as she pursued a Bachelor of Science and eventually moved to a paralegal position within the firm.
Smith intended to go to law school, but she also wanted to start a family and worried about juggling the long hours of an attorney with the demands of raising children. While many of her colleagues and family still urge her to attend law school, Smith said the paralegal profession is a perfect fit for her.
"I get my legal fix from nine to five, and then I go home to my kids. In my mind, it's the best of both worlds because I don't know too many lawyers who get to leave at five every day," she said.
Normally based in the DC office, Smith has been working from the firm's London office for the last eight months and plans to stay a few more years. While the U.S. legal system is based on English Common Law, there are many differences between American and British corporate law. For example, appointing a company director in the United States is simple and does not require government agency. In Britain, the process, which Smith says can be "convoluted," involves numerous forms.
Other parts of corporate law in Britain are more efficient than in the United States. Filings can all be done online, and the process is centralized through Companies House. In the United States, one would have to file with an individual state depending on the company's location.
"Here, you have Companies House. That's where you form your company. It's very convenient," she said. "The language differences are great. It's been challenging, but very, very interesting. I love it."
Smith, like many legal professionals, initially wanted to pursue a career in criminal law. But when she discovered corporate law, she knew she'd found her niche.
"I bounced around in all different practice areas, and I loved litigation. The hundreds of boxes were a little daunting. And it just so happens that at one point, they had this very large transaction, and the corporate paralegal at the firm at the time asked if I would consider helping her even though I had no corporate experience," she said. "I jumped on it and loved it. And I decided that was it."
In corporate law, Smith said she felt she was getting more responsibility and she doesn't have to deal with as many documents, which she disliked while in litigation practice.
"I was doing much more substantive work as a corporate paralegal than I was in any other practice area," she said. "And in corporate law, I actually draft documents. I coordinate the transactions, and I do a lot of great research. It's very interesting to me. It might not be interesting to the rest of the world, but I love it."
Smith has been with Steptoe since 1991, aside from a 10-month stint when she was lured away by another firm. Steptoe missed Smith, and she missed it. When the firm called and asked her to come back, she did.
Smith was thrilled to learn that she had been nominated as one of the top-15 paralegals for Carole Bruno's book. The paralegal manager and several partners at the firm nominated her. What's the secret to her success? Be open-minded, get the job done, and keep smiling.
"I would say the number-one thing is to communicate with everyone around you and to keep it really short and sweet," she said. "Attorneys don't want to hear how awful it was or how hard it was for you to get the filing through. They want to hear the filing was made on this date, evidence is on the way."
If you complain about how difficult your job is, you're unlikely to rise through the ranks and get more responsibility, she said.
"Stay positive and keep smiling. Out here in Britain, the same thing goes, and I think it's true in any profession," she said. "People just don't want to hear your stories; they want to know what the problem is and how you propose to fix it."
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