About Zachary D.
Zachary D. Smith earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University–Bloomington in 2003 and completed his law degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2007. His academic path combined a large public university experience with a Midwestern law school that has a long history of training litigators. The two degrees set the stage for a career centered on family law practice in the Ohio-Kentucky region.
After graduating from law school, Smith moved into private practice. He built experience handling contested and uncontested family law matters. Early in his career he worked on divorce cases, custody disputes, child support and property division. Over time he added work on protection orders and paternity cases. His casework has included courtroom appearances and negotiated settlements, reflecting a mix of litigation and alternative dispute resolution strategies.
Smith is a member of the State Bar of Ohio and holds certification from the Ohio State Bar Association as a Certified Family Law Specialist. That certification indicates he met the association’s standards for practice in family law and passed the specialist examination administered by the state bar association. He is admitted to practice in both Ohio and Kentucky, and he keeps current on procedural and substantive developments in family law across those jurisdictions.
He founded and practices under the name Zachary D. Smith LLC, operating as a solo practitioner and counsel to individuals navigating domestic matters. His work often requires coordinating between courts in different counties and, when needed, across the Ohio-Kentucky state line. He represents clients in contested hearings and settlement talks, preparing pleadings, advocating at hearings, and negotiating agreements when possible. His practice involves both temporary emergency matters and longer-term cases that require careful evidence gathering and sustained advocacy.
Colleagues and clients describe Smith as methodical in case preparation and practical in courtroom settings. He tends to break complex situations into discrete issues that can be addressed one by one. Outside of filings and hearings he spends time reviewing statute changes and judicial decisions that affect family law practice in Ohio and Kentucky. He currently practices family law through Zachary D. Smith LLC, representing clients in Ohio and Kentucky.
