Meet Pamela Curran Smith
Pamela Curran Smith Will Bring 18 Years of Diverse Legal Experience to the Bench
My name is Pamela Curran Smith and I’m running for Cook County Judge in the 12th Judicial Subcircuit, which includes all or parts of Inverness, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights, Prospect Heights, Wheeling, and Northbrook. I grew up in Jefferson Park on the northwest side of Chicago. I am a lifelong Cook County resident and attended college at the University of Illinois at Chicago and law school at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where I graduated in 2006. I moved to the northwest suburbs sixteen years ago where my husband, a high school teacher, and I are raising our two sons, ages 8 and 9.
I have practiced law for nearly 18 years and in that time, I have litigated in courtrooms throughout the state. My legal background is broad in scope, as I have advocated for countless clients in court handling traffic, criminal, civil, domestic relations, personal injury, guardianship, probate, DCFS appeals, and employment disputes. I am in court most days and vigorously defend personal liberties and freedoms afforded by the Constitution. I have represented clients from vastly diverse backgrounds and various occupations, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, sex, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation. I advocate for each client equally, treating everyone with dignity and respect, both inside and outside of a courtroom, and seek to learn and understand their individual history without judgment. Through my personal and professional interactions, I have gained a greater understanding and sensitivity to individual and cultural differences.
I have significant litigation experience, which includes jury trials, bench trials, pretrial motions and post-trial motions in state court, federal court, and administrative proceedings. I have settled cases and tried cases, litigating in state court, federal court and administrative proceedings. Through negotiation and settlement efforts, I have learned to balance an appropriate level of compassion and firmness.
Standing beside my clients in court, I have witnessed the impact of the judiciary on litigants, which has given me greater understanding of the effect of a judge’s ruling and gravity of the consequences. Experienced judges that show compassion, patience and fairness are essential. While I was raised to always be humble and do what is just and right, the lessons I learned from my clients over the years have been equally valuable. Ultimately, as was instilled in me in my life before the law, I always strive to do what is just and right and will continue to do so if elected to the position of Circuit Court Judge.
I have served as a Committee Chair with the Northwest Suburban Bar Association and am an active participant in various events and activities as a member of multiple Bar Associations, including the Illinois State Bar Association, the Northwest Suburban Bar Association and the DuPage County Bar Association; I volunteered as part of a panel of speakers for a high school law class; and in addition to my work at a busy law practice, I am actively involved in the development and academic and extracurricular activities of my children and serve as a volunteer lunch monitor and parent helper at the school.