Member Spotlight, 0619 COBJ, Vol. 48, No. 6 Pg. 96

• Position: Vol. 48, 6 [Page 96]

48 Colo.Law. 96

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Vol. 48, No. 6 [Page 96]

The Colorado Lawyer

June, 2019

Graham M. Smith

Graham Smith is the current president of the Southwest Colorado Bar Association.

What is one of the most positive experiences you've had as a lawyer?

As a deputy district attorney and as a special prosecutor for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, I've worked on several "problem solving courts" and witnessed people overcome incredible obstacles to turn their lives around. I think these courts are doing an amazing job of improving people's lives and making our communities safer at the same time.

What do you like best about your practice area?

The thing I like most is the "area" I practice in— Southwest Colorado. I have personal relationships with the other attorneys in the region, and we are able to represent our clients in a courteous, professional, and effective manner.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Never send an email longer than "yes" or "no," if "yes" or "no" will answer the question.

What do you wish you had learned in law school?

I was an appellate attorney for the Wyoming Attorney General's Office. In that position, I argued several cases in the Wyoming Supreme Court—and even one case in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals—against law students. It would have been an amazing experience to have been able to do that in law school.

Who is your favorite writer and why?

I don't think I could narrow it down to one favorite. But I re-read George Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language" every year in an effort to make my own writing more clear; particularly his six rules:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech that...