Hon. James D. Smith is a judge for the Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Doug Ducey in 2015.
During his judicial tenure, Smith has held assignments in the Civil and Family Courts.
Prior to joining the bench, he was a partner in Bryan Cave LLP, where he had practiced since 2000. Before that, Smith was an associate at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP (1999 to 2000) and Teilborg, Sanders & Parks, P.C. (1996 to 1998). At Bryan Cave, his practice focused on class action defense and complex commercial litigation.
He received a B.S. in political science from Arizona State University in 1992. Smith went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1995.
After graduating from law school, he began his legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Edward C. Voss with the Arizona Court of Appeals (1995 to 1996).
His memberships have included the State Bar of Arizona, the Maricopa County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.
Smith has also sat as a board member of the Salvation Army of Phoenix and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Phoenix.
A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Smith graduated from Camelback High School.