July 2016
by Ann Chao Sheu

Janet Landry Smith is an associate at Carter Scholer Arnett Hamada & Mockler and practices in the firm’s litigation section. Janet’s practice includes representing clients in trademark litigation, trade secrets litigation, employment litigation, and business disputes. Janet served as the judicial intern to the Hon. Lee Yeakel in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

If you are watching Janet in the courtroom or seeing her interact with opposing counsel, you would never know that she has only been licensed since November 2015. The poise, humility, and professionalism that she consistently displays are why so many attorneys, both young and old, seek out Janet for advice and counsel. There are many who consider Janet to be their mentor and role model, and it’s no surprise that, upon graduation, her peers selected her to receive the prestigious John E. Kennedy Memorial Scholarship for her service and dedication to SMU Dedman School of Law.

During law school, Janet was both a superstar in the classroom, as well as a fierce and incredibly successful mock trial and moot court competitor. Not many students have the dedication or passion to challenge themselves to both types of advocacy competitions; Janet not only participated, she excelled. Janet won three mock trial championships, received top brief awards, and was awarded the Best Advocate Award. But her commitment to advocacy did not end with her personal experiences in these competitions; through her work as Chair of the Board of Advocates (the student organization which oversaw both the on-campus and off-campus advocacy competitions), she worked tirelessly to ensure other law students also had the opportunity to hone their advocacy skills.

Currently, Janet is serving as a Director of DAYL, where she is the DAABA representative. She is active with several DAYL committees. Janet is also involved with DAABA, where she has helped, for the past several years, with the Annual Awards Night, which would not have been as successful but for Janet’s participation.

Janet’s passion for service to the bar, her exceptional advocacy skills, her commitment to learning, and her unwavering professionalism are why Janet is this month’s One to Watch.