Michelle Smith
Senior Counsel & Managing Member

My background: I grew up in and around Dallas, Texas, but went to law school at the University of Utah. During law school, I volunteered with the Senior Law Project at Utah Legal Services and served as a judicial intern for Administrative Law Judge Harvey Sweitzer at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Hearings and Appeals - Probate Hearings Division. I also worked as a graduate research assistant to Professor Lee Hollaar at the University of Utah, for whom I reviewed and edited the intellectual property treatise, “Legal Protection of Digital Information” (BNA Books, 2002).

I relocated to Colorado after graduation and began working for a small estate planning firm in Greenwood Village. However, it wasn't long before my husband's career took us back to Dallas. I practiced in Texas for several years, primarily in the areas of probate, guardianship, estate planning, and elder law, and I was regularly appointed by the courts as an ad litem in both guardianship and probate matters. We returned to Colorado in early 2009, where we have enjoyed ourselves ever since.

In my spare time, I enjoy knitting, reading anything I can get my hands on, camping, gardening, and genealogical research.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Long-Term Care / Medicaid

• Asset Protection

• Special Needs Planning

Bar Admissions

• Colorado, 2002

• Texas, 2004

Education

• University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law, 2001 - J.D.

• University of Texas at Arlington, 1994 - B.A. in History with Honors

Professional Memberships

• Colorado Bar Association, Elder Law Section, Trusts & Estates Section

• State Bar of Texas, Real Estate, Probate & Trust Law Section

• Arapahoe County Bar Association

Honors & Awards

• Utah Legal Services, Senior Law Project - Recognized for contributing more than 50 hours of pro bono services.

• Dallas Bar Association - Recognized for pro bono services contribution.

Publications

• Best Wedding Gift Ever? A Newlywed Estate Plan. Rocky Mountain Bride, 2010.

• In Sickness and In Health. Why Every Young Couple Needs a Living Will. Rocky Mountain Bride, 2010.

• What Newlyweds Ought to Know About a Medical Durable Power of Attorney. Rocky Mountain Bride, 2010.

• Overcoming Wedding Jitters. Rocky Mountain Bride, 2010.

Speaking Engagements

• Financial Planning & Wills. Presenter - Denver Association of Family Child Care, 25th Annual Conference (April 2016).