Patricia Lane Smith

Patricia L. Smith joined Johnson Smith Trusts & Estates Law Group in 2016. To say that Trish is immersed in all aspects of our practice would be an understatement. She meets with Trust and Estate clients, drafts and implements estate planning documents, opens, administers and closes both Trust Administrations and Probate Estates, and also assists Ann in keeping Joe on an even keel.

Trish also has been solely responsible for ensuring that our firm complies with the recent advent of mandatory electronic court filings of most legal documents.

Trish meets people well, is a delight to work with, and is an important part of our firm. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

Trish began her legal career as an attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Enforcement Division of the Midwest Regional Office. She was responsible for and worked on dozens of cases involving fraud in the offer, purchase or sale of a U.S. security.

After working nearly five years with the S.E.C., Trish joined a private commodities firm at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as in-house counsel, making certain the traders were in compliance with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulations. About six years later, with a growing, young family, Trish took time off to focus on raising her five children. During this period, however, she maintained her status as an active attorney, kept up to date by regularly taking courses in estate planning and other fields of law, and spent many hours handling pro bono projects.

In October 2016, Trish decided to resume her legal career, this time with a Trusts and Estates law firm. It was an easy decision to have her join us.

Trish earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois John Marshall Law School, where she was a member of the Law Review.

Trish’s main interests and duties outside of the office are keeping her husband, five children and two border collies headed in the same direction. When time permits, Trish enjoys a myriad of activities that include running, biking, tennis, skiing, gardening as well as traveling. Regularly visiting the many museums and cultural attractions in Chicago is also a high priority for her.