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Attorney Andrew Smiley Dedicated to Educating Current and Future Colleagues

Andrew J. Smiley, of the New York law firm of Smiley & Smiley, LLP, works consistently to improve the public's understanding of the legal process.

The attorneys at Smiley & Smiley are regularly featured on television news broadcasts, newspapers and law journals. They frequently lend their legal expertise to provide legal commentary on high-profile issues in the news.

In addition, Smiley and his fellow partners have served in many leadership roles in state and local organizations:

  • New York State Trial Lawyers Association
  • Combined Judicial Screening Panel of the City of New York
  • Advisory Board of the New York Jury Verdict Report
  • New York City Trial Lawyers Association

Smiley's Educational Work

What is not as widely known about Andrew J. Smiley is that he donates a significant amount of his professional time to educating new and current colleagues in the legal profession. A former adjunct instructor at Brooklyn Law School, Smiley has instructed national trial teams and law students in the areas of personal injury and trial law.

Smiley also spends a significant amount of his time giving continuing legal education (CLE) lectures to improve the legal skills of lawyers who are currently admitted to the bar. Smiley's courses can be viewed at Lawline Presentations. In addition, Smiley conducts live CLE lectures. He has previously done so for the New York County Lawyers Association and the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers.

In his highly rated legal education courses, Smiley lectures on a variety of areas such as:

  • Evidence
  • The use of experts at trials
  • Opening statements
  • Basic and advanced trial techniques
  • Jury selection
  • Personal trainer negligence
  • How to handle a Construction Accident Case Under NY Labor Laws: Sections 200, 240 (1) and 241 (6)

Full List of CLEs & Presentations

  • Trial Techniques - Part 2: Cross- Examination & Closing Arguments, Brooklyn Bar Association, May 15, 2014
  • Trial Techniques - Part 1: Jury Selection, Opening Statements & Direct Examination, Brooklyn Bar Association, May 7, 2014
  • Health, Fitness & Adventure Sports Liability, New York State Bar Association, August 1, 2013
  • Direct Exams: How To Make Your Witnesses Shine, New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, May 6, 2013
  • Opening Statements: A Recipe for Success, Lawline.com, August 7, 2012
  • Preparing The Construction Accident Case, New York County Lawyers Association, March 26, 2012
  • The Nults and Bolts of a Trial, New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, October 24, 2011
  • Personal Trainer Negligence, Lawline.com, March 22, 2011
  • Effectively Using Experts in Personal Injury Cases, Lawline.com, May 4, 2011
  • Trial Techniques: The Tricks of the Trade, Lawline.com, February 16, 2011
  • Practice Makes Perfect: Learn to Practice Like a Pro, Lawline.com, January 18, 2011
  • Jury Selection 101, New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, December 14, 2010
  • Practical Guidelines for Getting Items into Evidence, Lawline.com, March, 2010
  • Winning Your Case: Trial Skills that Count, Lawline.com, August 21, 2009

The benefits of continuing legal education to the legal community and general public are numerous. Attorneys are required by most states to attend continuing legal education classes to maintain their proficiency in the law. As the law is constantly changing, continuing legal education classes ensure that an attorney is up to date in his or her understanding of the law.

In addition to helping attorneys maintain their proficiency, continuing legal education allows attorneys to expand their knowledge of other practice areas. This allows attorneys to represent their clients competently in a wide variety of areas. This saves the client money, as it is often not necessary to go to a different attorney for representation in areas outside the original attorney's specialty.

By maintaining competence in a given practice area, the attorney can avoid mistakes and deliver the most efficient service to the client, without having to engage in lengthy research in an unfamiliar legal area.

Due to his exceptional educational efforts and achievements, it is little surprise that Smiley was honored as a Super Lawyer in 2011. In order to achieve this high honor, an attorney must attain a high level of personal achievement, consistently demonstrate high ethical standards, and achieve a high level of recognition from their peers. Following a rigorous selection process, lawyers are nominated for the honor by their peers and are selected after peer evaluations are considered and independent research is conducted.

About Smiley & Smiley

Smiley & Smiley, LLP, is a law firm in midtown Manhattan specializing in representing victims who have suffered catastrophic injury resulting from another's negligence. The firm also represents clients who have sustained serious injuries or wrongful death resulting from medical malpractice, construction accidents, automobile accidents and product liability.

The firm prides itself on client service and accessibility and can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since its inception, the firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for its clients.