Laurel Smith has practiced law since 1975 and has provided legal services in her Rochester office since 1978. Ms. Smith's focus of practice is on workers' compensation, personal injury, landlord/tenant issues, estate planning and probate, and family law.

Ms. Smith is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law. She is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association, and the Thurston and Lewis County Bar Associations. She is an Eagle member of the Washington State Association for Justice (formerly Washington State Trial Lawyers Association), where she served on the Board of Directors and various committees and was awarded the Alvin Andersen award for service in 2004. She has served as the chair of the Workers' Compensation Section and as the chair of the Thurston County Round Table.

Ms. Smith has provided pro bono legal services throughout her career: her firm received the Thurston County Volunteer Legal Choice's 2007 Award for pro bono services, she was awarded the American Bar Association Family Law Section pro bono award in 2001 and has been recognized by the Washington State Bar for over 50 hours of pro bono service per year since the WSBA started acknowledging such service in 2003. She provides free legal services through both the Thurston County Volunteer Legal Clinic and the Lewis County Legal Aid Clinic. She has served on the pro bono committee of the Washington State Bar Association.

Ms. Smith volunteers as a settlement conference judge in Thurston County District Court and has acted as judge pro tem in Lewis County District Court. She acts as an arbitrator in Lewis, Thurston, Grays Harbor, and Mason counties. She is an ex-officio director of Rochester Community Services (ROOF).