JoAnna Smith

JoAnna Smith, ESQ

Court Admissions

Georgia Supreme Court​
Georgia Court of Appeals​
All Georgia State Trial Courts

Bar Admissions

Georgia, 2015

Education

Emory University
(J.D./M.P.H, 2014)

American University
(B.A., summa cum laude, 2007)

JoAnna Smith, ESQ

Working as a doula (a birth support person) before law school, JoAnna developed a passion for providing the information and support families needed to get through a life-changing and challenging time. Now JoAnna applies those skills and that passion to helping Georgians successfully navigate their family law issues from divorce, custody, and child support to mediation, protective orders, and name changes. She particularly loves working with the LGBTQ++ community, people exploring alternative family structures, and parents with kids with disabilities. She is a certified domestic relations mediator and arbitrator and experienced Guardian Ad Litem.

JoAnna graduated summa cum laude from American University in Washington, D.C. with a degree in Law & Society, and a certificate in Women, Politics & Political Leadership. She is a Truman Scholar and a Truman-Albright Fellow.

After graduation, JoAnna worked at the U.S. Department of Transportation, as a doula in a local birth center, and a sexual assault victim advocate. She attended Emory University Law School as a Woodruff Fellow, where she received both a law degree and Masters of Public Health. She ran her own family law firm for seven years before joining the Firm.

JoAnna lives in Kirkwood with her son who is blind, where she is active in various community organizations.

Certifications & Involvement

  • Certified Domestic Relations Mediator
  • Certified Arbitrator
  • Experienced Guardian Ad Litem
  • 2024-Present - Board Member - Atlanta Birth Center
  • 2024-Present - Board Member - Atlanta Birth Center
  • 2024-Present - Board Member - Atlanta Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
  • 2019-2022 - Board Member, Solo/Small Firm Section, Atlanta Bar Association
  • 2019-2020 - Executive Director of Lawyers for Equal Justice, a nonprofit incubator program to train young lawyers to start innovative law firms
  • 2018-2020 - Board Member and Chair, Lawyer Referral Information Service, Atlanta Bar Association
  • Member, Georgia Association for Women Lawyers

Honors & Awards

  • Selected to Superlawyers Rising Star every year since 2019
  • 2020 - DeKalb Pro Bono, Volunteer of the Year
  • Truman Scholarship, 2007
  • Woodruff Fellowship, 2011