Page 13 - NC Triangle Vol 7 No 1

“Hearing Wade read from ‘ e Art of War’ on the eve of that trial was one of the coolest moments of my life,” said Babb.
PEOPLE COME IN CRISIS
arrington Smith is best known for high pro le criminal cases. e rm defended one of the Duke La- crosse players falsely accused of rape in 2006. It also defended “Green Beret Killer” Dr. Je rey MacDonald in the murder trial that was the basis of the book and TV mini-series “Fatal Vi- sion.”
“ ese high-pro le trials are gen- erally once in a lifetime cases,” said Babb. “Most of my clients are not rich, famous, or well-known. I’ll represent anybody who has been accused of a crime so long as it is a case I’m inter- ested in, and I think I can help that person. People come to us in crisis. e thing I try to convey to them is that when a potential client wants to hire me on a case, they are getting the bene t of the entire criminal defense team.”
“At the forefront of my mind when someone calls me, is that they are never calling with good news. It may not seem like a big problem to other people, but it is to them,” said Roger Smith, Jr. “So, the rst time I meet with a prospective client I tell them that I’m really sorry that they are here to see me.”
In addition to its seven-member criminal defense team, arrington Smith is known for civil litigation, family law, criminal tax matters, and for representing pub-
lic school boards across the state, among its core practice areas.
STORYTELLERS
“We are devoted to the
idea of being as good as we
can be, totally committed to
the truth, and to telling our
client’s story really well,” said
Wade Smith. “We believe lawyers are storytellers. We learn our client’s story by taking the time to listen to them.”
Smith said creating a place where people looked forward to coming to work every day was a priority. “We have gone to great lengths to make the environment a happy space, where
lawyers and sta alike thrive and en- joy the community a large rm has to o er. is dramatically impacts our clients’ experience.”
THE COURAGE TO BE UNPOPULAR
Wade and his brother, Roger Smith, Sr., fellow Morehead Scholars at UNC, worked together on innumer- able cases. Perhaps none as notorious as the 1979 trial of James W. Hutchins. He was accused of murdering three deputy sheri s. It was the rst capi- tal case to be tried in North Carolina following reinstatement of the death penalty. “ e entire community was totally outraged and furious,” recalled Smith. “When we got to the (Ruther- ford County) courthouse that night, the courthouse yard was full of people who hated us and did not wish us well in any way.”
“We had to go in there and keep our heads up, keep our dignity about us, and show courage. We had to remem- ber the reason we were there was to help this man,” said Smith. Hutchins was ultimately executed a er numer- ous eleventh hour appeals and stays of execution pursued tirelessly by Roger, Sr.
‘UNDERSTATED COURTROOM STYLE’
“I think when you are courageous, you are not afraid to take a position, and in some cases it might not be a popular decision,” said Howard Cum- mings who joined the rm in January following a 30-year career in the Wake County DA’s o ce.
“Hearing Wade
read from ‘The Art of War’
on the eve of that trial was
one of the coolest moments
of my life.”
“It may be a case the public is dis- gusted with, but the client has rights, and it’s up to the prosecution to do their job. Sometimes it takes courage to represent somebody and stand up for their rights in front of 12 people in a jury box, and doing it even when that is politically, morally, or socially unpopular.”
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HOWARD CUMMINGS RUSSELL BABB ROGER SMITH, JR. HILL ALLEN MELISSA HILL DOUGLAS KINGSBERY WADE SMITH