About Adam W.
Adam W. Smith earned his undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University’s Michael E. Moritz College of Law and completed his legal education at Ohio Northern University, where he received his J.D. While at Ohio Northern he served on the Law Review during the 1988–1989 academic year. That period on the review shaped his approach to legal writing and research and remains a point of reference in his professional work.
He is admitted to practice in multiple state and federal jurisdictions. Those admissions include the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Ohio. He is also admitted in the District of Maryland and before several federal courts, among them the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. District Court and the Eastern District of Virginia. That multi-jurisdictional standing has allowed him to take on matters that cross state lines and that require coordination across courts.
Smith serves as a Principal at McCandlish & Lillard P.C. In that capacity he works on matters that arise from the interplay of local and federal law and that touch on clients with interests in more than one forum. He brings an institutional memory to the firm and plays a role in managing both client relationships and case strategy. He has been a consistent presence in the firm’s leadership ranks and is involved in mentoring associates and reviewing complex filings.
Outside the office he maintains several professional memberships. He is a current member of the District of Columbia Bar, the Virginia Association and the Fairfax Association. He also belongs to the Willis Society. Those affiliations serve as a way to stay connected to legal developments and to peers across practice areas. His law review experience from Ohio Northern remains a thread in his professional network and scholarly interests.
Colleagues describe his work as methodical and anchored in careful legal research. He draws on his multi-jurisdictional admissions to address procedural and substantive questions that arise in cross-border matters. He practices at McCandlish & Lillard P.C., handling matters in the jurisdictions where he is admitted.
