By Christianna McCausland
Kerri Smith is having a moment. After graduating magna cum laude in 2012 from UBalt Law, she has built a career in real estate law at Silverman Thompson Slutkin White, where she became a partner earlier this year. An active participant in local, state and national bar associations, she was named one of the top 40 young lawyers in the nation by the American Bar Association in 2023, received the Edward F Shea Jr. Professionalism award from Maryland in 2024, and recently took the reins as president of the Baltimore Bar Foundation. Oh, and the governor recently appointed her to the board of trustees for the Office of the Public Defender.
If the Baltimore legal community has a rising star, it must be Kerri Smith.
Hon. Teresa Epps Cummings, J.D. ’02, an administrative law judge and immediate past president of Bar Association of Baltimore City, has advice for anyone who works with Smith: “Be ready to match her energy!” Cummings describes Smith as the epitome of a dedicated, hardworking leader. “Kerri puts her heart and soul into whatever project she has volunteered to handle,” she says. “She is a dependable team player who solves problems expeditiously and with a smile.”
Smith exudes positivity and high energy even on Zoom, sitting in her office at Silverman Thompson discussing her time at UBalt Law. After deciding to go to law school and knowing she wanted to stay near family in Baltimore, she chose UBalt on the recommendation of others in the profession. And it was early experiences at the school that set her on her career trajectory.
“The most important experience that really kicked everything off was the summer after my first year. I applied to the EXPLOR program and Professor [Byron] Warnken placed me with Judge Joe Murphy,” Smith recalls. Working in the Maryland Court of Appeals, she got her first exposure to litigation, which has grown to be one of her passions. And when she applied to be a law clerk at Silverman Thompson, Smith listed Murphy as a reference. In a made-in-Baltimore moment, it just so happens Murphy was then retiring and moving to Silverman Thompson to do mediation.
“I don’t know that that’s the reason they picked me to be a law clerk that year, but for me it was the confirmation that this was a place that I thought I would like,” says Smith. “It’s probably one of the things that made me decide to accept the position that summer.”
At Silverman Thompson she worked her way through many areas of law, but working in real estate she met Avery Strachan, her first mentor and someone she continues to work with today. While her work in real estate law covers a vast array of issues, she has a specialty in landlord-tenant law. “It appeals to me because it’s an area of law that changes all the time,” says Smith, explaining that the work involves local, state and federal laws and can be heard in all levels of the court.
“As someone who likes to litigate, it’s fun and it’s exciting to do a little bit of everything and be in different courts,” she continues. “When you’re in district court, you’re flying by the seat of your pants, and things are moving really quickly; but I also like the circuit court or federal court cases that are more complex and offer the opportunity to dig into legal research and writing. … The thing I like the most, really, is arguing about the law.”
With a career like Smith’s, it’s no surprise that she describes herself as someone who is a planner, not a procrastinator. She also does nothing by halves. When she was involved with the Young Lawyers Division at BABC, she helped plan its annual holiday event for youth in homeless shelters. But she wanted each child (about 200 of them) to also go home with a gift. So she kicked off a toy drive at Silverman Thompson that continues to this day. Then she got everyone involved in gathering back-to-school supplies. She now leads the firm’s community service initiatives and its Women’s Legal Network, which promotes intra-office mentorship and advancement.
An avid runner, Smith also volunteers with Athletes Serving Athletes. The group pairs “wingmen” like Smith to runners with mobility disabilities, enabling them to participate in mainstream running events using adaptive joggers. “We do other things outside of just running together, like an ice cream night, and it’s been really fun to do something I like to do on my own — running — but to also make this whole new group of friends I would have never otherwise encountered in my life.”
James P. Robinson, J.D. ’13, a partner at Goodell, DeVries, Leech & Dann, has worked with Smith at a number of organizations and says her passion for public service shines through in that work. He notes that she is deeply motivated by a desire to foster camaraderie and collaboration within the legal community.
“Kerri consistently demonstrates a remarkable willingness to help others,” says Robinson. “For example, I recently had a client in need of guidance on a residential real estate matter. I immediately thought of Kerri and reached out to her. Despite it being the weekend, she responded promptly and connected with the client within 24 hours. Her responsiveness, generosity with her time, and reliability exemplify the kind of professional — and person — she is.
Smith says that making friends, helping young lawyers learn how to be good lawyers, and supporting the legal and local community are the reasons she stays so involved in industry groups and nonprofit work. With energy to spare, Smith’s moment in the sun is unlikely to set anytime soon.
Christianna McCausland is a writer based in Baltimore.