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Practice Areas: Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Appellate Practice

Additional Information: Judge Edwin Hodel Smith joined the firm as a shareholder in July 2007 having just retired from the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, after serving nearly three decades at various levels of the Missouri judiciary. Judge Smith was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Governor Mel Carnahan in 1995 and served as the Chief Judge of the Court from July 2004 to July 2006. Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Judge Smith served as the Presiding Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit (Andrew and Buchanan Counties) from January 1989 until his appointment to the Court of Appeals. Prior to being elected a Circuit Judge, only one year after his graduation from law school, Judge Smith was elected the first-ever Associate Circuit Judge of Andrew County in 1978 at the age of 26, making him one of the youngest judges ever elected in Missouri.

Judge Smith’s background in the law is widely diverse and extensive. As a Circuit Judge and Associate Circuit Judge for nearly 17 years, he presided over thousands of cases in nearly every area of the law, both civil and criminal, including complex business litigation, products liability, wrongful death, personal injury, medical malpractice, family law, administrative law, probate law, juvenile law, and criminal felonies and misdemeanors. As an appellate judge for nearly 12 years, Judge Smith authored over 800 opinions dealing with nearly every aspect of the law. Judge Smith’s opinions are routinely cited by judges and attorneys all over the state as being definitive statements of the law. Judge Smith gained a reputation as a legal expert and scholar in the areas of civil and criminal procedure, evidence, and family law. He has been asked to teach and speak on various topics at the Missouri Trial College and seminars around the state, including summary judgment, civil procedure, child support, civil and criminal contempt, the Batson procedure, declaratory judgments, and class actions.
Memberships and Affiliations

The Missouri Bar
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
St. Joseph Bar Association
Missouri Institute for Justice
Missouri Association of Probate and Associate Circuit Judges
Retired Judge, Past President and Former Board Member
American Judicature Association
Boy Scouts of America
Pony Express Council
Past District Chair
Merit Badge Counselor
Eagle Scout
Tribe of Mic-O-Say (Runner Night Dream)
AAU Girls Basketball Coach for Herzog Hoopstars and Herzog Starzz
Masonic Lodge
Savannah Methodist Church

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Firm Members: Todd Bartels