Candace Smith is an experienced complex litigation attorney in the Atlanta office of Herman Jones LLP. Her practice focuses on class action litigation, intellectual property litigation and commercial litigation. Candace has extensive litigation expertise, including in matters involving creditors’ rights, product liability, fraud claims, business disputes and bankruptcy. Candace has litigated in state and federal courts throughout the country and is skilled at handling all aspects of state and federal litigation. She has tried matters in state, federal and bankruptcy courts. Candace has successfully taken cases to verdict or decision, including as first chair, and argued in appellate courts. In addition, Candace has brought matters to favorable resolution through mediation and arbitration. While representing both plaintiffs and defendants, Candace has helped a broad range of individual and corporate clients navigate complex legal issues and achieve favorable outcomes.
Candace is a former Alston + Bird LLP partner, having spent nearly two decades at the firm specializing in a wide range of complex litigation matters with high stakes outcomes with a focus on financial services litigation, representing both debtors and creditors. During her tenure at Alston + Bird, Candace chaired the Financial Services Litigation Team. In 2006, she was a member of the trial team for MAN AG et al. V. Freightliner LLC et al., which secured a near one-billion-dollar jury award, the largest jury verdict in the country that year, and which included the largest punitive damages verdict in Oregon history. After she left Alston + Bird, Candace provided consulting services to Spelman College Museum of Fine Art and clients in need of litigation strategy and dispute resolution assistance.
Candace graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Brown University. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.
Professional Affiliations
- National Bar Association, Life Member
- Georgia Association of Women Attorneys, Program Committee 2004-2005
- Women in the Profession Section Georgia Bar, Charter Member 2005-2008
- International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (Georgia Network) 2001-2011
- American Bankruptcy Institute, Member 2006-2010
Publications and Speaking Engagements
- Problem Assets – Identification and Resolution (Risk Management Association, Atlanta Chapter, Conference – 2006)
- Managing Complex Litigation: Staying Ahead of the Curve (Risk Management Association, Atlanta Chapter, Conference – 2007)
- The CSI Effect: Employing Non-Scientific Means to Utilize – and Neutralize – Science in Court (ABA Litigation Section, Trial Practice Division – 2007)
- The CSI Effect (ABA Litigation Section Annual Conference – 2007)
- CSI: Lexington – Managing Juror Expectations for Scientific Proof (Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention – 2008)
Community Involvement
- Leadership Atlanta, Class of 2003, Membership Committee (2003-2004), L.E.A.D. Program Committee (2005-2006), Speaker Series Committee (2016)
- Leadership Georgia, Class of 2005
- Atlanta Women’s Foundation, Destiny Fund Participant (2006)
- Harvard Law School Association, Dean’s Advisory Council (2008)
- Democratic Party of Georgia Voter Protection Team (2018-2024), Poll Watcher (2018), Boiler Room Captain (2020-2024) and Regional Manager (2020), Hotline Co-Leader (2020-2022)
- Piedmont Park Conservancy of the City of Atlanta, Mayoral Appointee to the Board (2002-2018, 2023-2024), Strategic Planning Committee Co-Chair, CEO Search Committee Co-Chair, Governmental Affairs Committee Chair, Passion for Piedmont Park Co-Chair, Party for Piedmont Park Co-Chair, Landmark Lunch Steering Committee Co-Chair
- Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Art Advisory Board Chair (2015-2020)
- Georgia’s Win List, Board Member (2007-2014), Treasurer (2012-2013)
- Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (GCAPP), Board Member (2004-2009)
- National Urban League, Board of Trustees (1997-2004), National Urban League Young Professionals Co-Founder (1999), Urban League of Greater Atlanta Young Professionals Co-Founder (2001)
- HARMONY: Atlanta’s International Youth Chorus, Board of Directors and Advisory Board (1997-2005)
- Court Appointed Special Advocates Annual Luncheon, Co-Chair (2016, 2017)
- Cool Girls Hot Pink Party, Steering Committee (2015, 2016)
- Gettysburg College Women and Leadership Program, Speaker, Voter Challenges – Today and Yesteryear (2021)
- The Kulima Collective, Speaker, Opportunities for Small Businesses Under the Biden-Harris Administration (2021)