About Chris
Chris Smith built his career on steady moves between public service and private practice. He earned a B.S. in Governmental and Legal Studies from Oklahoma Christian University of Science & Arts in 2001 and a J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2004. Those academic years set the stage for an early role advising education leaders and a long run in law firms across Oklahoma and Texas.
Fresh out of law school, Smith served as director of legal information for the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. The role placed him at the intersection of law, policy and local governance. He moved into private practice the following year and has alternated between associate work and firm leadership ever since. His resume records a steady climb: attorney at The Smith Firm in 2005, associate at Burnett Brown, PLLC in 2006, and a partner role beginning in 2008 back at The Smith Firm.
Partnerships followed. In 2015 he joined Smith Simmons, PLLC as a partner. Five years later he became a partner at Ball Morse Lowe. In 2022 he returned to The Smith Firm as managing lawyer. The sequence shows someone comfortable switching roles when opportunities or responsibilities change. He has worked in both courtroom and collaborative settings and has kept connections across regional bar organizations.
Smith holds certification as a collaborative lawyer from the Oklahoma Academy of Collaborative Professionals. That credential aligns with longstanding memberships in groups that emphasize alternative dispute resolution and professional development. He belongs to the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas (since 2013), the Oklahoma Academy of Collaborative Professionals (since 2010) and the Dallas County Bar Association (since 2011). He is also a member of the American Bar Association, Wealth Counsel, the Oklahoma Association for Justice, the Young Entrepreneurs Council and the Oklahoma County Bar Association (since 2005).
Colleagues describe him as pragmatic in client meetings and methodical in case preparation. He has moved from a staff role at a statewide school boards association to leadership of a private firm. That arc has given him experience in institutional settings and in the management side of running a practice. He maintains licenses in both Oklahoma and Texas and splits professional activity across those jurisdictions.
He currently leads The Smith Firm as managing lawyer and practices collaborative law while serving clients in Oklahoma and Texas.
