Justice Nancy E. Smith earned degrees from Allegheny College in 1976 and Vermont Law School in 1980. She was admitted to the bar in 1981 and for the next three years, from 1982 until 1984, she served as an Assistant District Attorney for Monroe County. Smith then practiced as an associate attorney at Greisberger, Zicari, McConville, Cooman, Morin and Welch, a civil practice firm in Rochester. From 1985 until 1992 she was again employed at the District Attorney’s Office.
Smith took the bench of the Monroe County Court in January 1993, and during the years that followed she was assigned to county courts across the state. In 1997, she became a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court for the Seventh Judicial District by appointment of Governor George Pataki, and won election to that position later that year. In 1999, Governor Pataki promoted her to the Appellate Division, Second Department, where she remained until 2004, when she was re-assigned to the Fourth Department. There she reached the rank of Senior Associate Judge.
Justice Smith has been an active participant in professional and civic organizations and committees, including serving on the Office of Court Administration Family Violence Task Force and as a Board member of the Legal Aid Society, the Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys and Pittsford Youth Service, Inc. Additionally, she has served as an instructor for the Criminal Justice Training Center (1986-1992), the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (1989-1992) and the New York State Bar Association (1994-1996).
Sources
“Biography of Hon. Nancy E. Smith, Candidate for the Supreme Court Seventh Judicial District.” 2011 Voter Guide. New York State Unified Court System, 2011. Web. 2 July 2012. http://www.nycourtsystem.com/Applications/JCEC2011/Bio2011.php?ID=1526.
“Justice Nancy E. Smith.” Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department. Web. 2 July 2012. http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/ad4/Court/smith.html.
“Nancy E. Smith.” CourtAlert, 2003. Web. 2 July 2012. http://www.courtalert.com/JudgeSmith.asp.