Lauren A. Smith

Service Areas

Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Governmental Liability
Municipal & County Government Law
Civil Rights Litigation
Business Disputes
Employment Law
Employer Immigration Compliance
Personal Injury
Disaster Litigation
Aviation Litigation

Profile

Ms. Smith’s practice is centered on the representation of businesses and municipalities in a wide range of litigation matters, including employment discrimination and retaliation, contract and lease disputes, shareholder derivative actions, and police civil-liability lawsuits.

Ms. Smith has represented municipalities, governmental officials, and private-sector entities in tort litigation brought under Alabama and federal law, including claims brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Federal False Claims Act (FCA). She represents clients involved in lawsuits filed in both federal and state courts, and has significant appellate experience before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Alabama Supreme Court. Ms. Smith also regularly consults with clients on day-to-day employment matters involving employee policies and handbooks, discipline and termination, and exemption classifications. Using her skills and experience, Ms. Smith applies a practical approach to her clients’ problems to create solutions that make sense in today’s changing world.

In addition to her work with clients, Ms. Smith contributes to Lanier Ford’s Third-Shift Employment Law Blog.

Honors and Awards

• Selected as a Rising Star by SuperLawyers.com for 2018 and 2020.  Patented by Super Lawyers, the selection process involves peer nominations, independent research, and peer evaluations. Selected through the same process as Super Lawyers, Rising Stars must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less. No more than 2.5 percent of the attorneys in a state are named Rising Stars.

Representative Cases

Hickman v. Spirit of Athens, Inc., 2021 WL 164322 (11th Cir. Jan. 19, 2021).

Gentry v. City of Russellville, 406 F.Supp.3d 1231 (N.D. Ala. 2019).

Tompkins v. Cuts By Us., Inc., 2019 WL 3387775 (N.D. Ala. 2019).

Hickman v. Spirit of Athens, Inc., 2019 WL 861131 (N.D. Ala. 2019).

Nelson v. Lott, 330 F.Supp.3d 1314 (N.D. Ala. 2018).

White v. City of Athens, No. 14-00445, 2017 WL 4222616 (N.D. Ala. Sept. 22, 2017).

Mooren v. System Studies & Simulations, Inc., No. 12-00230, 2017 WL 3581727 (N.D. Ala. Aug. 18, 2017)

Howard Industries, Inc. v. Ridgeway, No. 15-38, 2015 WL 3953052 (S.D. Miss. June 29, 2015).

Hawkins v. Carmean, 562 Fed. Appx. 740 (11th Cir. 2014).

Bailey v. City of Huntsville, 517 Fed. Appx. 857 (11th Cir. 2013).

Sims v. Leonard, 465 Fed. Appx. 869 (11th Cir. 2012).

Garcia v. Killingsworth, 425 Fed. Appx. 831 (11th Cir. 2011).

Brown v. City of Huntsville, 608 F.3d 724 (11th Cir. 2010).

Publications

• “Six Good Reasons To Use New FMLA Forms,” Alabama Employment Law Letter and Southeast Employment Law Letter, November 2020.

Presentations

• Retaliation Under the False Claims Act, November 14, 2019, Annual Symposium on Labor and Employment sponsored by the North Alabama Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Huntsville, AL.
• FLSA Essentials, September 11, 2018, part of an all-day seminar on employment law sponsored by the National Business Institute, Huntsville, AL.
• Hiring and Firing, September 11, 2018, part of an all-day seminar on employment law sponsored by the National Business Institute, Huntsville, AL.
• Employer Responsibilities Under the Americans With Disabilities Act, lunch-and-learn seminar held on October 20, 2017, at Lanier Ford.
• Interviewing Best Practices, lunch-and-learn seminar held on August 25, 2017, at Lanier Ford.
• Workplace Injuries, lunch-and-learn seminar held on June 15, 2017, at Lanier Ford.
• Workplace Behavior and Privacy Issues, April 24, 2017, part of an all-day seminar on employment law sponsored by the National Business Institute, Huntsville, AL.
• Internal Investigations, lunch-and-learn seminar held on April 21, 2017, at Lanier Ford.
• Discrimination and Harassment, lunch-and-learn seminar held on February 17, 2017, at Lanier Ford.
• Basics of Discipline and Discharge, lunch-and-learn seminar held on November 1, 2016, at Lanier Ford.
• Employee Handbooks 101, lunch-and-learn seminar held on October 11, 2016, at Lanier Ford.
• Employee Handbooks and Policies in the 21st Century, October 4, 2016, part of an all- day seminar on employment law sponsored by the National Business Institute, Huntsville, AL.
• Documenting Discipline and Discharge, October 4, 2016, part of an all-day seminar on employment law sponsored by the National Business Institute, Huntsville, AL.
• Wage and Benefits Issues, October 4, 2016, part of an all-day seminar on employment law sponsored by the National Business Institute, Huntsville, AL.
• Putting in Place Document Retention Programs, November 17, 2015, part of an employment law seminar sponsored by the National Business Institute, Huntsville, AL.

Professional Affiliations

• Alabama Bar Association
• Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association
  Secretary-Treasurer, Young Lawyers Section, 2010-2011
• North Alabama Society of Human Resources Management

Education

• J.D.,with great distinction, 2008, University of the Pacific, Sacramento, CA
  Order of the Coif
  Traynor Honor Society
  Witkin Award for Advanced Trial Advocacy, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Pretrial Litigation, and Evidence
  Member, McGeorge Mock Trial Competition Team, 2007-2008
• B.A., magna cum laude, 2005, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA

Bar Admissions

Alabama, 2008

Court Admissions

• United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
• United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama
• All Alabama state courts

Community Involvement

• Catalyst Center for Business and Entrepreneurship
  Vice Chair and Board Member, 2019 to present
• Women’s Economic Development Council, 2016 to present
  Secretary, WEDC Milestones, 2016-2017
  Board Member, 2019 to pressent
• Member, WEDC Foundation Board of Directors, 2017 to present
• Mentor, Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Alabama, 2017-2018

Other Experience

Law Clerk, Madison County Circuit Judge Bruce Williams, 2009-2010.