Abbe Smith facts for kids

Abbe Lyn Smith (born September 22, 1956) is an American lawyer and law professor. She teaches at Georgetown University Law Center. Professor Smith is known for defending people accused of crimes. She also helps people who are in prison.

Before joining Georgetown, Abbe Smith worked as a public defender in Philadelphia. A public defender is a lawyer who helps people who cannot afford a lawyer. She also taught at Harvard Law School. Professor Smith often writes and talks about how the justice system works. She also discusses what lawyers should do to be fair. She wrote a book about helping a woman named Patsy Kelly Jarrett. Patsy was found guilty of crimes but said she was innocent. Abbe Smith helped her get her freedom.

Learning to Be a Lawyer

Abbe Smith earned her first degree from Yale College in 1978. She then got her law degree from New York University School of Law in 1982. While in law school, Abbe started helping a woman named Patsy Kelly Jarrett. Patsy had been found guilty of serious crimes, but she always said she was innocent. Abbe decided to help her prove it. She worked on Patsy's case for 25 years!

From 2005 to 2006, Abbe Smith was a Fulbright Program scholar. This means she got a special scholarship to study and teach in Melbourne, Australia. She worked at the University of Melbourne School of Law.

Abbe Smith's Career

Helping People as a Public Defender

After finishing law school, Ms. Smith became an assistant public defender. She worked for the Defender Association of Philadelphia. She helped many people who needed legal help but could not pay for it. Later, she became a senior trial attorney there. While working as a public defender, she also started teaching law. She taught criminal law at City University of New York Law School.

Teaching Law at Universities

In 1990, Abbe Smith moved to Harvard Law School. There, she helped run the Criminal Justice Institute. This program teaches law students how to defend people in court. She also taught in Harvard's Trial Advocacy Workshop. This workshop helps students learn how to argue cases in front of a judge and jury.

In 1996, Professor Smith joined the faculty at Georgetown University Law Center. Today, she is the Director of the Criminal Defense and Prisoner Advocacy Clinic. In this clinic, she teaches students how to defend people. She also teaches them how to help people who are in prison.

From 1994 to 2005, Abbe Smith was the lawyer for Patsy Kelly Jarrett. Abbe contacted reporters and wrote articles about Patsy's case. In 2003, she convinced a filmmaker named Ofra Bikel to include Patsy's story in a TV show. The show was called Frontline. It aired in 2004. In March 2005, a special board reviewed Patsy's case. They watched the film about her story. After seeing it, they decided to release Patsy.

Abbe Smith wrote a book about this experience called Case of a Lifetime: A Criminal Defense Lawyer's Story. This book was recognized for its powerful story.

In 2010, she was chosen to be part of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers. She also serves on the boards of other organizations. These include the Bronx defenders and the National Juvenile Defender Center. These groups help young people who need legal support. In 2012, she received an award for her excellent legal teaching.

Books Written by Abbe Smith

• How Can You Represent Those People? (Abbe Smith & Monroe Freedman eds., New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2013).
• Understanding Lawyers' Ethics (Abbe Smith & Monroe Freedman, New Providence, N.J.: LexisNexis 4th ed. 2010).
• Case of a Lifetime: A Criminal Defense Lawyer's Story (New York: Palgrave MacMillan 2008).