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A. Russell Smith is engaged in a trial practice, with emphasis in the areas of criminal defense in the Florida and Federal Courts and complex family litigation. Mr. Smith graduated from the University of South Florida in 1976, and received his Juris Doctor degree from the Spessard Holland Law Center at the University of Florida in 1979. He began his legal career in in 1980 at the Office of the Public Defender for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida, and has now been representing people in complex family law litigation and defending persons accused of crime in the courts of Florida and in the federal courts for more than twenty-eight years.
Mr. Smith served as president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 2007-2008. He has been a member of FACDL since 1988 and has been a Director and Officer since 1996. He has twice received the FACDL President's Award, the highest award given to members of the Association, and is one of only two lawyers ever to win this prestigious award twice.
Mr. Smith is also a charter member of the Florida Family Law Inn of Court, where he has received the designation of Master, the highest classification which can be bestowed. He has been a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator for twenty-five years, and during that time, he has helped hundreds of couples and their lawyers find creative solutions to their disputes.
Since 1981, Mr. Smith has served on the Board of Renaissance Behavioral Health Systems, a community-based provider of mental health services to the indigent. He is also a volunteer attorney for the Florida Innocence Initiative and The Innocence Project. He is a graduate of Leadership Jacksonville, and recently retired from the Board of Directors of the Jacksonville Youth Soccer Club.
Mr. Smith has lectured and published on topics including Legal Ethics, The Politics of the Death Penalty, Legislation and the Practice of Law, The Relationship between Lawyers and the Media, Law and Technology, Federal Sentencing, and The Effects of the Criminal Justice System on Families and Children. The Florida Bar has approved his Legal Ethics lecture, Ethical Problems Facing the Small Practice for continuing education credit and he has lectured on the politics of the death penalty at the Center for Policy Alternatives in Washington, D.C. He has appeared as a legal commentator on Court TV and The O'Reilly Factor, and was also a regular guest on The PollCats, a politics and public affairs program which aired on public television for more than ten years.
| A Russell Smith: | Member at The Law Offices of A. Russell Smith, P.A. |
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301 West Bay Street Suite 1461 Jacksonville, FL 32202 |
| Website: | https://www.TheLawSmith.net |
| Phone: | 904-355-5633 x12 |
| Fax: | 904-353-1315 |
| Office Hours: |
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| Offices: |
Law Offices of A. Russell Smith, P.A.
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Felonies and Misdemeanors in state and federal courts.
| Association name | Position name | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Bar | Member | N/A |
| Florida Bar | Member | N/A |
| Renaissance Behavioral Health Services | Volunteer Board Member and Officer | N/A |
| Renaissance Behavioral Health Services | Volunteer Board Member and Officer | N/A |
| United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida | Admitted to practice | N/A |
| United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida | Admitted to practice | N/A |
| United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | Admitted to practice | N/A |
| United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | Admitted to practice | N/A |
| United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | Admitted to practice | 1984 - 1900 |
| Leadership Jacksonville | Member | 1993 - 1900 |
| Dispute Resolution Center of the Florida State Courts | Certified Family Law Mediator | 1993 - 1900 |
| Leadership Jacksonville | Member | N/A |
| Dispute Resolution Center of the Florida State Courts | Certified Family Law Mediator | N/A |
| Leadership Jacksonville | Member | N/A |
| Dispute Resolution Center of the Florida State Courts | Certified Family Law Mediator | N/A |
| Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers | Officer and Director | N/A |
| Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers | Officer and Director | 1996 - 1900 |
| Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers | Officer and Director | N/A |
| Florida Family Law Inn of Court | Master | N/A |
| Florida Family Law Inn of Court | Master | 2003 - 1900 |
| Florida Family Law Inn of Court | Master | N/A |
| Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers | President | 2007 - 2008 |
| Award name | Grantor | Date granted |
|---|---|---|
| AV Preeminent Rated | Martindale-Hubbell | 2018 |
| AV Preeminent Rated | Martindale-Hubbell | 2017 |
| AV Preeminent Rated | Martindale-Hubbell | 2016 |
| AV Preeminent Rated | Martindale-Hubbell | 2015 |
| AV Preeminent Rated | Martindale-Hubbell | 2014 |
| AV Preeminent Rated | Martindale-Hubbell | 2013 |
| AV Preeminent Rated | Martindale-Hubbell | 2012 |
| AV Rated | Martindale Hubbell | 2011 |
| AV Rated | Martindale Hubbell | 2010 |
| AV Rated | Martindale-Hubbell | 2009 |
| President's Award | Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers | 2006 |
| President's Award | Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers | 2000 |
| School name | Degree | Graduated |
|---|---|---|
| University of South Florida | Bachelor's | 1976 |
| University of South Florida | Bachelor's | 1976 |
| University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law | Juris Doctor | 1979 |
| University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law | Juris Doctor | 1979 |
| State | Number | Status | Acquired | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL | 296880 | Member in Good Standing | 1980 | 04/25/2019 |
| Publication name | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education | Ethical Problems Facing the Small Practice | 1997 |
| Conference name | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Showcase on Sentencing | Showcase on Sentencing | 2009 |
| NACDL 2008 Fall Meeting | Ethical Issues in Jury Selection | 2008 |
| Summit of the States | Politics of the Death Penalty | 2000 |
| Title | Company name | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Trial Attorney | Public Defender, Fourth Circuit of Florida | 1980 - 1983 |
| Trial Attorney | Public Defender, Fourth Circuit of Florida | 1980 - 1983 |
| Partner | Elder and Smith | 1983 - 1985 |
| Partner | Elder and Smith | 1983 - 1985 |
| Sole Shareholder | Law Offices of A. Russell Smith, P.A. | 1985 - 2006 |
| Sole Shareholder | Law Offices of A. Russell Smith, P.A. | 1985 - 2006 |
| Senior Partner | Smith and Haine, P.A. | 2006 - 2018 |
| Sole shareholder | Law Offices of A. Russell Smith, P.A. | N/A |
| Sole shareholder | Law Offices of A. Russell Smith, P.A. | 2018 - 1900 |
| Sole shareholder | Law Offices of A. Russell Smith, P.A. | N/A |
