Bonnie Michelle Smith
Bonnie Michelle Smith
About Us
Our law firm is based on the belief that our customers' needs are of the utmost importance. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.
Our motto: "Doing What is Right and Fair Always Matters...Even When No One is Looking"
Bonnie Michelle Smith, "Michelle," is a graduate of Northside High School in Warner Robins, Georgia. She has a B.A. in Music from Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia, and a J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. Michelle even spent a year in New York, New York doing post graduate musical theater studies at the American Music and Dramatic Academy.
Who says lawyers don't sing and tap dance in court? In fact, Michelle often laughs that she does more tap dancing in the legal world than she ever did in New York!
A long-time, Warner Robins Native, Michelle attended Shirley Hills Elementary, Russell Elementary, Northside Junior High, and graduated from Northside High School, back when they did not always win football games.
Michelle is admitted to practice at the United States Supreme Court, Court of Federal Claims, Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, United States District Court, Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Georgia Supreme Court, and Georgia Court of Appeals.
She has argued in Washington DC at the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and in Atlanta at the Georgia Supreme Court. Michelle has handled real estate, employment, criminal, federal appeals, discrimination, and civil rights cases. Currently, she focuses her practice on federal criminal and civil defense, federal appeals, state appeals, real estate, business, probate, and contracts.
In addition to her private practice, Michelle was the Senior Managing Attorney for the HUD Closing Attorney Contractor before HUD changed to the Buyer Select Program that allowed customers to choose their own attorney to close a HUD owned property. Michelle is currently on the HUD Closing Attorney List, and her years as senior managing attorney for the multi-state law firm that had the HUD Closing Agent Contract, gives her unique insight to be able to navigate the bureaucratic closing process much faster than other closing attorneys.
Michelle enjoys being in private practice, and has tirelessly helped many people who would not or could not have afforded legal representation, but for her volunteer service. Her non-profit legal clinic, Community Legal, works on the premise that whatever legal service done for you is passed on in equal value back to the community. Committed to community service, and believing that serving as Judge is the highest level of serving one's community, Michelle has had 3 unsuccessful runs for the Office of Superior Court Judge, and in 2016, although not selected for the position, was nominated and interviewed for the vacancy on the Georgia Supreme Court.
Michelle is a PBA Attorney, representing law enforcement officers throughout Georgia. If a police officer is involved in a critical incident, when called, Michelle rushes to the scene to assist the officer. Michelle has advocated for law enforcement officers since becoming an attorney in 2001, and testified at the Capitol on House Bill 941 in early 2016. Georgia is one of the few states in the nation that allows Police Officers to testify at Grand Jury Proceedings in cases involving use of force, and Michelle supports Georgia keeping this provision. Michelle believes that Police Officers do not have the benefit of instant replay and have to make split second decisions involving life or death; therefore, Michelle believes Police Officers should have the benefit to explain why they made the decision they did in life and death circumstances.
In 2015, she was nominated and listed as one of the 100 Influential Women in Georgia by Georgia Informer Newspaper.