I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. I attended Rockhurst High School and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia cum laude with a double major in Economics and Finance & Banking. After graduation, I stayed in Columbia to attend law school at the University of Missouri, where I served on the Missouri Law Review and published the article: Missouri Still Refuses to Impose Social Host Liability for Furnishing Alcohol to Minors, 71 Mo. L. Rev. 841 (2006). After receiving my juris doctor degree in 2007, I served two years as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Sandra C. Midkiff in the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, and then worked as an attorney at a personal injury litigation firm focusing primarily on products liability cases. In 2015, I established Al J Smith Law, llc. Whether in criminal matters or civil litigation, my focus as an attorney has always been the representation of individuals and small businesses and achieving results for my clients that will have a measurable benefit to their life or business. I place a great deal of importance on having direct and open lines of communication with my clients so that they are fully informed of the legal process every step of the way.