Amy Smith

Amy R. Smith is a criminal defense trial attorney with more than fifteen years of experience representing juveniles, late adolescents, and adults in serious and complex criminal cases. She is the founder of Smith Legal Defense, LLC, a criminal defense practice north of Boston that focuses on the representation of juveniles and late adolescents charged with homicide offenses.

Amy began her career as a Deputy Public Defender with the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender. She later joined the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Massachusetts, serving as a trial attorney in the Youth Advocacy and Superior Court divisions, and as a trainer in the Criminal Defense Training Unit. She successfully completed the qualification process for admission to the Massachusetts Murder List, authorizing her to accept court-appointed murder cases, and she received an Exceptional Advocacy Award for her successful defense of a juvenile charged with first-degree murder.

Amy also served as a Clinical Instructor at Harvard Law School’s Criminal Justice Institute, supervising student attorneys on criminal cases. She was faculty at Harvard’s Trial Advocacy Workshop and taught legal research and writing at Northeastern University School of Law.

Amy holds a J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law and a certificate from the National Criminal Defense College. She is admitted to practice in Colorado, Massachusetts, and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Amy’s work is informed by years of representing young people charged with the most serious offenses and integrating adolescent brain science into her advocacy and litigation strategy. She is skilled at working directly with young clients and piecing together a full understanding of the client’s developmental history, life circumstances, and strengths.