Alison Werner Smith was born in Grinnell, Iowa in 1974.  She received a B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1996 and a J.D., with distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1998.  She clerked for the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa from 1998 to 2000 and the Iowa Court of Appeals from 2000 to 2003.  In 2003, she authored chapter three of the Iowa Legal Research Guide for the Drake University Law School and also served as an adjunct professor for the School of Paralegal Studies at Kaplan College.  Alison became an associate at our firm in 2004 and a partner in 2008.

Alison is a barrister of the Dean Mason Ladd Inn of Court, an officer in the Iowa Organization of Women Attorneys, and a member of the Johnson County and Iowa State Bar Associations.  Since 2000, she has been an active participant in numerous Iowa State Bar Association committees by serving as a member of the Executive Council, the Legal Heritage Committee, the Young Lawyers Division’s State Fair Committee, the Civics Committee, and the YLD's Law-Related Education Committee.  She was also appointed to the Iowa Lawyer Trust Account Commission in 2007.  Also in 2007, Alison received the Iowa State Bar Association’s Pro Bono Award in recognition of her donation of 300 hours of pro bono time while handling twenty-one cases.

Alison has been an active member of the National Debate Coaches Association and the Johnson County League of Women Voters.  Since 1999, she has volunteered for the Iowa Radio Information Services, which provides live radio broadcasts of local news to blind and print handicapped.  From 2003 to 2006, she served on the North Liberty Planning and Zoning Commission and, in 2007, began a four-year term on the North Liberty Board of Adjustment. 

Alison Smith has been admitted to practice before the following courts: State of Iowa Bar (1999), United States District Court - Southern District of Iowa (1999), United States District Court - Northern District of Iowa (2003), and United States Court of Appeals - Eighth Circuit (2007).

Alison's published cases include: In re Marriage of Ellis, 705 N.W.2d 96 (IA, 2005).

Alison has a general law practice with a focus on civil, appellate, and federal litigation, insurance coverage litigation, domestic relations, and real estate.