P H I LANTHROPY
GIVING BACK:
JEFFERY SMITH J.D. ’73
BY MOLLY KAELIN
Recently, Jeffery Smith J.D. ‘73 visited Stetson Law for
the first time in decades. During his long overdue tour
of the Gulfport campus, Smith said he was so inspired
by the students that he met that he decided to establish
a scholarship. He said he felt it was his time to give back to a place
that had given him so much. Without the full scholarship he
received at Stetson Law and the Army, Smith says he would not
have had the same opportunities.
“It is my moral obligation to give back,” Smith explained.
After joining the Army and graduating from the University of
Florida, Smith set his sights on law school. Shortly after his LSAT
scores were published, he received a phone call from Stetson Law,
offering him a full scholarship. He and his wife, Patricia “Trish”
Smith, whom he married during college, moved to Gulfport.
Smith always wore a suit and tie to class in law school. He was
always prepared to be put on the spot by a professor at any
moment. Today, he credits these tough professors with preparing
him for anything. While at Stetson, Smith served as social chair of
Phi Alpha Delta and was later elected chapter president. He recalls
that only two women were in his 1L class, a trend he is glad to see
has changed. Initially, tax law and estate planning were his focus.
This later changed when he met Phil Schaller, the acting state
attorney at the time. Schaller offered Smith a position in a criminal
prosecution task force, which he accepted. After a few years on the
task force, he transitioned into private practice.
In private practice, Smith provided criminal defense largely for
those accused of homicide and crimes involving narcotics. He said
that he liked that he was not sitting behind a desk all day. However,
after some time, he left the office wondering if his impact on
society was positive. He was bothered by the cutthroat nature of
criminal law.
“If you can’t win ethically and righteously, it isn’t worth doing,”
said Smith. “Whatever you do in life, you must follow your moral
compass.”
His moral compass led him back to the state prosecutor’s office.
Smith knew he had made the right personal decision to return to
the prosecutor’s office because he never left the office feeling upset.
Here, he felt he was doing something positive for the community. It
was also here that alumna Julia Metts, a current Stetson Law professor,
interned for Smith at the senior prosecutor’s office. They remain
close friends and colleagues. Smith began working in the juvenile
justice division of the prosecutor’s office. At that time, the county did
not have a juvenile court. Seeing a need for change, Smith established
the first drug, mental health, and juvenile court in Citrus County. He
worked as a prosecutor for the remainder of his career and has since
retired after making unforgettable contributions to Citrus County
and the justice system.
Today, Jeff Smith lives in Inverness, Florida, with his wife, Trish. They
have two daughters and five grandchildren. He is an avid marksman,
hunter and fisherman.
Smith said that he is now giving back to the Stetson Law to say,
“Thank you.” In addition to scholarships, part of his contribution has
been pledged to one of the courtrooms at Stetson Law.
31
Patricia and Jeff Smith J.D. ‘73