JuDgE JarED smITH: a mILITarY vETEran on THE BEnCH
Military & Veterans Affairs Committee
Chairs: David Veenstra – Hunter Law, P.A & Alexandra Srsic – Bay Area Legal Services, Inc.
T
he pain of 9/11 was
palpable and raw. Jared
Smith watched it all
from Kansas where
he was then a clerk at the Kansas
Supreme Court. He felt a call to
serve and remembered receiving a
recruiting brochure from the Air
Force’s Judge Advocate General’s
(JAG) Corps. He went through the
competitive application process
and was selected to join the Air
Force JAG Corps. He and his wife
Suzette embarked on their next
chapter — life of military service.
It did not take them long to
realize that they were not in
Kansas anymore. Then-Lieutenant
Smith completed the Air Force’s
initial officer accession training
program at Maxwell Air Force
Base, Alabama, and his first duty
assignment was to MacDill Air
Force Base. At MacDill, his duties
included serving as the Chief of
Legal Assistance, Chief of Adverse
Actions, and Chief of Claims. He
also was part of the MacDill Air
Force Base Disaster Control Group
and served on the MacDill’s multi-
functional team planning and
implementing the massive AirFest
2004 event. During his time at
MacDill, he was selected by the
Air Force for promotion to captain.
the Unified Family
In 2005, the
Court and County
Smiths were
Civil divisions.
re-assigned to
He joins a dozen
Goodfellow
military veterans
Air Force Base,
who ably serve on
Texas, where
the bench in and
he served as
for Hillsborough
the Chief
County.
of Adverse
There is much
Actions. At both
more to Judge
assignments,
Smith than his
he also served
accomplished legal
as a Special
career, however.
Assistant U.S.
He felt a call to serve
He married his law
Attorney,
and remembered
school classmate,
prosecuting
receiving
a
recruiting
Suzette, who it
crimes arising
should be noted
on the exclusive
brochure from the air
actually graduated
federal
Force’s Judge advocate
tied with Judge
jurisdiction and
Smith in his law
prosecuting
general’s (Jag) Corps.
school class (which
courts-martial.
was no easy task
Captain Smith
considering he was
completed his
third in the class). They are blessed
military service in 2006.
with four wonderful children.
The Smiths had fallen in love
They are also active in their faith
with the Tampa Bay area during
community, where Judge Smith
Judge Smith’s assignment to
serves as a deacon at Idlewild
MacDill, so they returned after
Baptist church in Lutz.
they left the Air Force. He resumed
The Military & Veterans Affairs
the civilian practice of law by
Committee is pleased and grateful
joining the law firm of Rumberger,
that Judge Smith also makes time to
Kirk & Caldwell, P.A. He began
routinely participate in the various
his practice initially as a civil
activities and events put on by the
litigator and built a construction
committee, and we look forward to
law practice, developing a strong
his presence on
reputation in the community and
the bench and
earning his board certification.
amongst our
Judge Smith’s legal career and
community
focus of service changed in March
of attorneys.
2017, when Florida’s Governor
Rick Scott appointed him to serve
as a Hillsborough County Court
Author:
Judge. He subsequently won a
Steve Berlin –
contested election in August 2018.
Rumberger Kirk
Judge Smith proudly sits as part of
& Caldwell
Plan to Attend mvAC’s CLe on February 21. Register now at hillsbar.com.
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JAN - FEB 2019
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HCBA LAWYER