VICTORIA SMITH, ESQ.
Juris Doctorate
University of Tennessee College of Law, 1999
Master of Arts, Psychology
Wake Forest University, 1996
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology
University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1994
Licensed to practice law in Georgia and South Carolina
Having spent my entire career practicing law in the area of parole and postconviction criminal defense, I enjoy strategizing ways to get clients out of prison, solving problems encountered by incarcerated clients while they are imprisoned, and assisting clients already released from confinement clear the hurdles created by their convictions. With extensive experience in assisting clients with parole representation, confinement issues, and legal challenges to their convictions and sentences, my postconviction representation has extended to capital cases and successful representation in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Throughout the years, I have worked on defense teams which included prior Parole Board members and other officials previously employed by governmental agencies. From these collaborations I learned not only how agencies approach cases, but also the benefit of consultants sharing their unique training, knowledge, and perspectives.
After being with an Atlanta firm for 15 years, I designed this boutique law practice in Athens with the vision of offering a high level of legal services without the large overhead to arrive at effective, affordable, and extremely personalized representation. I welcome the opportunity to speak with you and discuss your legal needs.
Parole and postconviction representation is all we do. We are a small boutique law practice focused on helping incarcerated people and their families throughout Georgia navigate the courts, prisons, and parole landscape so that they do not get lost in the system. We also work with victims to facilitate closure in cases.
In striving for exceptional client care, we endeavor to return all calls and emails within one business day and to respond to written correspondence received in the mail from incarcerated clients within one week. It is your case. You should know what is happening in it at all times.
With representation spanning capital cases in the Supreme Court of the United States to probation cases in state courts to custodial issues involving the Georgia Department of Corrections to parole representation at the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, we have the knowledge and experience to guide you through the postconviction labyrinth.
We understand that you may not be able to talk about sensitive legal matters during traditional business hours. We are happy to schedule teleconferences and meetings after hours and on weekends to accommodate your schedule. Can’t travel to our office? That’s all right. We meet throughout the state with incarcerated clients and their family and friends.
We strive to offer an unparalleled positive client experience. This means that not only are we committed to excellence in what we do and integrity in how we do it, it also means that we understand that cases are about clients, not attorneys. We listen to you to ensure that the plan for your case matches your wishes and expectations.
Your case is important to you. It is important to us, too. Direct communication between a client and an attorney is vital for an attorney to gain a comprehensive understanding of the people and facts involved in a case. You hire an attorney. You should talk about your case directly with that attorney, not a paralegal or secretary.
We are open and transparent about our charges. In most cases, fixed rate fees are available so that clients can pay a one time fee up front and then not have to worry about monthly invoices. A pay-as-you-go option also may be available wherein standard hourly rates are charged, and clients receive monthly invoices detailing the performed work underlying those charges. Question about your invoice? Don’t hesitate to ask about it, so that you can be confident that we are doing exactly what you hired us to do.
Like having the proverbial friend at the factory, associating experts to share their knowledge and perspectives of issues can have a tremendous impact on a case. We go to great lengths to match clients with the right consultants, including former high ranking Parole Board and Georgia Department of Corrections officials, private investigators, forensic experts, polygraph examiners, and even other defense attorneys who have exceptionally good relationships with key individuals in cases.