Words by Anna Lee Vaughn | Images by Ryan McGill
Jasper native Lindsey Smith has returned home to pursue a career in law.
After graduating from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, AL, Lindsey took the bar exam in July 2022. While awaiting her results, she gained work experience as a clerk for a longstanding legal firm, Jackson, Fikes, & Brakefield, in Jasper. Today, Lindsey practices law full-time at the firm.
While Lindsey is passionate about her career and excited about her new opportunities, becoming a lawyer differed from her original plan. After graduating from Walker High School in 2015, Lindsey attended Birmingham-Southern College, where she began her studies as a biology major with the intent to continue her education in pre-med. But her plans soon changed.
“I very quickly decided I did not want to do that anymore. I’m not a math person,” she laughs. “So, I changed to majoring in English on a pre-law track, which has been my path ever since.”
At Jackson, Fikes, and Brakefield, Lindsey oversees her own cases and works on others as assigned by fellow partners at the firm. Her field of practice encompasses many areas of law, including divorce, breach of contract, estates, adoptions, contracts and wills, and administrative law.
Her clients include local administrative and governmental entities, including Walker County, the Jasper Water Works and Sewer Board, and the Jasper Civil Service Board. Through this law practice, Lindsey has learned the nuances of how these different governmental bodies work.
“I never considered the administrative side of the law, but it’s been really interesting to see the issues that arise within that area,” she says. “I’ve gotten to help draft some civil service board rules that have gone into place, and it’s been an interesting task to be able to help with those.”
While settling back in Jasper, Lindsey hopes to become more involved in the community and find her place as a local lawyer. Inspired by other female lawyers and judges in the community, Lindsey says this is an ’empowering time’ to start her career.
“I’m excited to find my niche. I’m always finding new cases and areas of law that I’ve never experienced before, so I’d like to eventually make myself a reputation for having an area that I’m really good at,” she says. “And long term, I’d love to stay here. Being a first-year lawyer comes with a lot of anxiety, but all three of the partners make it enjoyable to come in every day. So, long term, my goal would be to become a partner. But, I’ll have to prove myself.”
Outside of work, Lindsey enjoys reading and writing, working with the cows and horses at her dad’s farm, and leading a Wednesday night small group for high school girls at Jasper First Methodist Church. WL
