Todd A. Smith Remembering the people, not the verdicts
By Dan Rafter - Special to Law Bulletin Media
Todd Smith remembers the people he’s helped, not the size of the verdicts and settlements he’s earned for them. To Smith, founding partner of Chicago law firm Smith LaCien, it’s helping his clients that has made building a career in personal injury law such a joy. “I have been able to help people after they have suffered catastrophic, life- changing events,” Smith said. “To have been able to do that for so long? That’s a real privilege.” Like many successful attorneys, Smith didn’t dream of building a career in law. What did lead him to this field? It might have been a reluctance to jump quickly into a traditional 9-to-5 job after earning his Master of Business Administration degree. And though Smith enjoyed his time studying business at Northwest- ern University, he also understood that a corporate career was not the right fit for him. This became clear during a job interview after Smith graduated. The company flew Smith to Philadelphia for the interview. At the time, Smith had long hair and a beard, the only man in his MBA program who boasted such prodigious facial hair, he said. During the interview, the company’s chief financial officer sensed that Smith wasn’t passionate about landing the job. The officer eventually asked Smith the most important question of the interview: “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” “He knew more than me,” Smith said. “I realized that studying business was wonderful. I learned a great deal about many issues. That education is still of value in some of the work that I do. But I also knew after graduating that a ca- reer in business wasn’t for me.” Shortly after that interview, Smith entered law school at Loyola University School of Law in Chicago. During one of his summers while attending law school, Smith worked with the Criminal Defense Services, which eventually became the Criminal Defense Consortium. The agency served people who needed legal help but couldn’t afford representation.
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I have been able to help people after they have suffered catastrophic, life- changing events. To have been able to do that for so long? That’s a real privilege.
It was at this summer job that Smith found his calling.
“I loved it,” he said. “I love the idea of working on behalf of people who are in desperate need of legal help. The clients I worked with would often be locked up because they were too poor to pay their bond. It was a real eye-opener of the need that people had. That is what struck me: These people were in such need of legal help.”
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