About Lisa Smith
Lisa Smith Presta built a steady professional path through law and community work. Her academic record began at Pennsylvania State University, where she earned a B.S. in 1987. She continued at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, completing a Master of Education in 1989 and a Juris Doctor in 1992. Those degrees set the stage for a career spanning state and federal practice.
After law school, Presta entered court practice and has since appeared in state and federal forums. Her admitted jurisdictions include the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She is a partner at MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton, where she has developed courtroom experience and taken on matters that require work across different levels of the judicial system.
Presta’s career includes sustained involvement in bar and professional organizations. She holds membership in the Pennsylvania State Bar, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the American Bar Association. She is also a member of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute. Her ties to the federal bench extend to a seat on the Local Rules Advisory Committee for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, where she participates in discussion over court procedures and local rule changes.
Community leadership has been a parallel track in Presta’s life. She has served as president of the Erie Club and as a trustee of the Regional Cancer Center Foundation. She served as president of the Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project from 2011 to 2012. She also has been involved with The Achievement Center, where she served as president of the board of directors. Those roles reflect an ongoing engagement with civic and charitable organizations in her region.
Within her firm, Presta is known for steady handling of matters that require litigation experience and familiarity with court practice. Colleagues and clients have relied on her for procedural guidance and for representation in both trial and appellate settings. She combines courtroom work with committee service that touches on how courts run day to day.
She remains active in professional circles while serving as a partner at MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton. In private practice she handles matters in Pennsylvania and in federal courts, including the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and appeals to the Third Circuit, which is the current focus of her practice.
