Biography

Lauren Katz Smith has practiced law in diverse settings, demonstrating a deep commitment to law, professional practice, art and education that serve the public interest.

Professor Katz Smith’s experience in private practice includes her work as an associate at Blank Rome LLP, where she litigated a variety of matters and provided FDA regulatory compliance counseling. While at the firm, she also served on the firm’s Recruiting Committee.

During her tenure at Blank Rome, she served as a child advocate with the Support Center for Child Advocates, providing legal services to victims of child abuse and neglect. She also represented clients pro bono as a volunteer attorney for Philadelphia VIP, which seeks to ensure access to justice for low income Philadelphians.

Previously, Professor Katz Smith litigated constitutional claims as a legal fellow with the American Civil Liberties Union, including handling an appeal involving an unconstitutional mental health commitment and prosecution of a violation of student privacy rights.

Most recently before joining the faculty, Professor Katz Smith served as in-house counsel and a producer at History Making Productions, a documentary film company based in Philadelphia that takes an inclusionary approach to public history. While there, she helped launch production of a documentary about a group of white and African American abolitionist women who pursued racial justice and gender equity between 1790 and 1850.

She previously served on the ACLU Young Leaders outreach team and was secretary of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Public Interest Section.

Professor Katz Smith clerked for Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey after receiving her JD, magna cum laude, from Drexel’s Kline School of Law. She was executive articles editor of the inaugural issue of the Drexel Law Review.