Jamie Smith - Red Deer Lawyer at Woodbine Legal Services

Jamie Smith

Lawyer

Professional Summary

Jamie (he/they) has called Central Alberta home for many years, but has made his mark in many locales, including Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and North Dakota. After graduating from Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School, he attended the first 2 years of his Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences at Red Deer College (now Red Deer Polytechnic), and completed that degree at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Following this, he went on to complete an Advanced Diploma in Public Relations, working briefly with Symphony Nova Scotia’s marketing and fundraising department. Jamie left Halifax to attend law school at the University of North Dakota School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor. As a foreign-educated lawyer, Jamie completed his NCA accreditation, and began articling with Gerig Hamilton Neeland LLP in Red Deer in 2015.

After a few years in private practice, Jamie took on a position with a local non-profit, gaining invaluable experience in many areas of practice. He provided education, information, and advice to Albertans across the province, and was one of the first lawyers in the province, prior to the onset of the pandemic, to regularly offer remote legal assistance and limited-scope legal services. Jamie is well-known in among those in the legal non-profit sector as a strong advocate for access to justice and a creative thinker, and spoke at the National Pro Bono Conference in 2022. After leaving the non-profit world, Jamie returned to private practice, bringing with him a unique perspective and approach to assisting his clients through difficult matters.

Jamie is comfortable both in and out of the Courtroom, representing clients in the Alberta Court of Justice and Court of King’s Bench, but also assisting with non-litigious matters, such as drafting wills, creating agreements, and helping with real estate transactions.

In addition to his skills and expertise as a lawyer, Jamie has recently obtained his Master’s of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University, and holds status as a Canadian Certified Counsellor, and has completed training as a Parenting Coordinator.

In his downtime, Jamie enjoys spending time with his partner and their two cats, hanging out in-person or virtually with the friends he’s met on his adventures, and travelling as often as he can, whether it’s to the mountains, the lakes, or to the tropics. He has been involved with a number of non-profits in Central Alberta, most notably serving 2 full terms with the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra.

Education

INFO NEEDED

Year of Call

Law Society of Alberta, 2016

Areas of Practice:

Family Law & Divorce, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Real Estate, Estate Planning