About Samuel R.
Samuel R. Smith has built a steady, pragmatic legal career that moves between large firms, in-house work and his own practice. He arrived at law after studies at Brigham Young University, earning his J.D. in 2004. That academic foundation set him up for a series of roles that exposed him to courtroom work, corporate legal departments and private practice.
Early in his career Smith worked at two Washington, D.C. law firms. In 2005 he was a lawyer at Covington & Burling LLP. The following year he took an in-house position as Associate General Counsel at Prosper, Inc., where he handled corporate legal issues. In 2007 he returned to private practice as an associate at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, a role that deepened his experience at a national firm.
In 2009 Smith opened the Law Office of Samuel R. Smith and served as its principal lawyer. The move into solo practice followed several years in larger organizations and reflected a shift toward managing client relationships and firm operations. In 2010 he took a position at Zimmerman Law Office as a lawyer. The sequence of roles illustrates a practitioner comfortable moving between different practice settings and responsibilities.
Smith holds licenses to practice in the District of Columbia and in North Carolina. He also maintains membership in the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, a group he joined in 2004 and continues to be affiliated with. That association indicates ongoing engagement with a legal community that intersects professional and faith-based networks.
Colleagues and clients describe Smith as methodical in his approach. He favors clear analysis and practical solutions over legal flourishes. He has handled matters that required adaptation to both corporate environments and the demands of solo practice. Those experiences inform how he staffs matters and communicates with clients.
The arc of Smith’s career — from major firm associate to in-house lawyer, then principal of his own office and later counsel at a smaller firm — shows an attorney who has navigated different legal workplaces. As of 2026 he practices law in jurisdictions where he is licensed and directs his current practice toward advising clients on matters arising in the District of Columbia and North Carolina.
