About Philip M.
Philip M. Smith began his legal path at the University of Colorado, where he earned a B.A. in economics and political science in 1975 before completing his J.D. at the University of Colorado Law School in 1979. The same year he finished law school he joined the Colorado Bar Association and entered active duty service in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Navy. Those early years combined courtroom procedure, military discipline and the everyday demands of legal practice.
His first professional posting was uniformed service as a Navy judge advocate. After leaving active duty he moved into private practice and, in 1984, formed a general partnership, Keene, Munsinger and Smith. That experience put him into the trenches of civil work and litigation. He later shifted into prosecutorial roles. In 1989 he became a deputy district attorney in the 18th Judicial District. He returned to district-level prosecution in 2003 as an assistant district attorney in the 5th Judicial District.
In 2004 Smith took two notable professional steps. He opened his own solo practice, operating under the name Philip M. Smith Lawyer at Law, and he began serving as a judge in the Aurora, Colorado Municipal Court. Those roles reflect a career that has moved between courtroom advocacy and judicial responsibility. Throughout, he has maintained memberships in a range of legal organizations, including the Arapahoe County Bar Association, the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Denver Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association, where his membership dates to 1979.
Smith is admitted to practice in Colorado and Wyoming. He is also admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. His work has spanned prosecution, defense and municipal adjudication. That mix gives him a perspective on how cases look from different benches and tables. Colleagues note a pragmatic approach: he prepares cases for trial, but he also manages routine courtroom calendars and municipal matters.
Today he runs his solo practice from his office and handles matters in state and federal courts. His practice draws on long experience on both sides of criminal proceedings and on municipal court duties. He continues to participate in local and national bar groups and represents clients in litigation and court appearances through Philip M. Smith Lawyer at Law.
