Practice Experience

• Throughout his career, Reece Smith has engaged in general trial and appellate practice and has argued cases at every level of the state and federal court systems, including the Supreme Court of the United States.
• His area of practice is broad and has included both criminal justice and civil litigation in state and federal courts and advocacy before administrative agencies and arbitral tribunals.
  

Professional and Civic Activities

• Community Service & Professional Career: 
  Lawyer, Sole Practitioner, Plant City, Florida, 1949; Member, Florida Committee for Selection of Rhodes Scholars, 1953-2004 (Secretary 1963-90); Faculty member, College of Law, University of Florida, 1952-53; Member (now Chair Emeritus), Carlton, Fields, Ward, Emmanuel, Smith & Cutler, P.A., (n/k/a Carlton Fields)1953 to date; President, Tampa Philharmonic Association, 1954-1960; Chair, Hillsborough County Mental Health Society, 1955; Part-time faculty member, Stetson University College of Law, 1954-57; President, Tampa Chapter of United Cerebral Palsy, 1958-59; City Attorney and Head of Legal Department, City of Tampa, Florida, 1962-1972 (on annual retainer basis); Interim President, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, 1976-77 (by special arrangement with firm); Distinguished Professorial Lecturer, Stetson University College of Law, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1991 to date. President, Florida Gulf Coast Symphony Association, 1967-69; Co-Chair, Task Force on Mission & Goals, University of South Florida, 1974-76; Vice-Chair, Commission to Revise Charter of City of Tampa, 1975; Chair, Council of Advisors, University of South Florida, 1975-76; Chair, State of Florida Human Rights Advocacy Committee, 1976-78; Member, Florida Council of 100, 1976-77 and 1981-1991; Vice-Chair, The New College Foundation, 1977-1980; Chair, Governor’s Commission on Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, 1977-79; Trustee, Bethune-Cookman College, 1978-1998; Chair, State of Florida’s Joint Legislative-Executive Commission on Post Secondary Education, 1978-1980; Member, National Advisory Council, University of South Carolina, 1981-2004; Chair, Task Force on Tampa General Hospital, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, 1984; Co-Chair, Committee on Public Finance, Regents Study, Commission on Funding for Excellence, Florida University System, 1985; President, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, 1986-87; Chair, Committee of 100 on Economic Development; Chair, The Florida Orchestra Task Force, 1986-87; Member, The Miller Center (University of Virginia) Commission on Presidential Disability and the 25th Amendment, 1987-89; Private Judge, The Private Adjudication Center, Inc., Duke University, 1988 to 2002.  Member, Board of Directors, various religious, charitable, civic and professional organizations, various dates.
  
• Professional Service:
  Local: President, Hillsborough County Bar Association, 1963-64.
  State: President, The Florida Bar Foundation, 1970-72; President, The Florida Bar, 1972-73; President, Florida Legal Services, Inc., 1973-76 (Florida’s first statewide legal service organization supporting the delivery of legal services to the poor); President, Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, 1989-1990.
  National: Chair, Junior Bar Conference, American Bar Association, 1960-61; Member, House of Delegates, American Bar Association, 1961- to date; Assistant Secretary, American Bar Association, 1963-67; Secretary, American Bar Association, 1967-1971; Member, Board of Governors, American Bar Association, 1967-1971 and 1979-1982; Vice-Chair and Member of Executive Committee, Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), 1968-1971; Fellow of The American College of Trial Lawyers since 1969; Member, Board of Directors, American Bar Endowment, 1971-1980 and 1982-84; Member, Executive Council, Inter-American Bar Association, 1972-77; Chair, Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary, American Bar Association, 1974-75; Member, Executive Council, National Conference of Bar Presidents, 1975-1981; President, American Bar Endowment, 1976-78; Member, Board of Directors, American Bar Foundation, 1976-78 and 1983-1993; Member, Board of Directors, American Judicature Society, 1976-1980; President, National Conference of Bar Presidents, 1978-79; Member, ALI-ABA Committee on Continuing Professional Education, 1980-2004; President, American Bar Association, 1980-81; Member, Council, American Law Institute, 1981 to date; President, American Bar Foundation, 1990-1991; Board of Directors, Southern Legal Counsel, Inc., 1991-2003. 
  International: Fellow of The International Academy of Trial Lawyers since 1963; Fellow of The International Society of Barristers since 1968; International Bar Association - Council Member, 1982-84, Secretary General, 1984-86, Vice-President, 1986-88, President 1988-1990.

Professional Recognition

• Tampa Jaycee Distinguished Service Award as Outstanding Young Man, 1960; Florida Jaycee Award for outstanding Service in the Field of Good Government, 1965; Award of Young Lawyers Section, The Florida Bar, as Most Outstanding Past or Present Member, 1965; Frontiers of America Award for Distinguished Service in The Administration of Public Office, 1968; LL.D. (Honorary), University of South Florida, 1973; University of Florida Law Review Alumni Association, Alumnus of the Year Award, 1974; Honorary Member, National Association of Cuban Lawyers, Inc., 1974; Distinguished American Award, National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame (Tampa Chapter), 1977; B’nai B’rith (National) Humanitarian Award, 1977; Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Florida, 1977; President’s Award, Florida Association for Retarded Citizens, 1978; Outstanding Lawyer Award, Young Lawyers Section, The Florida Bar, 1980; Brotherhood Award, National Conference of Christians & Jews, 1980; D.C.L. (Honorary), Central Methodist College, 1980; D.C.L. (Honorary), New England College, 1980; LL.D. (Honorary), Rollins College, 1980; Arthur von Briesen Award, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, 1980; LL.D. (Honorary), University of Florida, 1980; Honorary Member, The Canadian Bar Association, 1980; D.H.L. (Honorary), California Western School of Law, 1981; LL.D (Honorary), University of South Carolina, 1981; Florida Bar Foundation Medal of Honor, 1981; Honorary Board Member, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation, 1981; Alvin J. Arnett Award, National Clients Council, 1981; Honorary Member, Barra Mexicana, 1981; University of Florida Law Center Association Trustees Award, 1981; Herbert Harley Award, American Judicature Society, 1983; President’s Distinguished Community Service Award, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, 1984; LL.D. (Honorary), Stetson University School of Law, 1985; Tampa Civitan Club, Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award, 1986; Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, University of South Carolina, 1987; Florida Classic Host Committee Award, 1988; Medal of Honor, American Bar Association, 1989; Champion of Higher Independent Education Award presented by Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, 1990; first recipient, Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Public Service Award of Stetson University College of Law, 1990; D.H.L. (Honorary), University of South Florida, 1990; D.B.A. (Honorary), Tampa College, 1991; First Recipient, The William Reece Smith, Jr. Special Services to Pro Bono Award of National Association of Pro Bono Coordinators (NAPBCO), 1992; African-American Heritage Award in Community Service, 1992; ABA Pro Bono Publico Award, 1994; Recipient of the 2001 Professionalism Award of the American Inns of Court for the U.S. 11th Circuit; Tampa Bay Ethics Award, 2003; Inaugural member, Stetson University College of Law Hall of Fame, 2004; listed in Florida Trend magazine’s Florida Legal Elite issue; Distinguished Service Award from Stetson University College of Law, 2004; Inducted into Stetson University College of Law Charter Hall of Fame, 2004; Inducted into Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame, 2007; Selected for Florida Super Lawyers, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009; Honored by Stetson University College of Law for 25 years of teaching service, 2007; Fellows of the American Bar Association (ABA) Young Lawyers Division recipient of the 2007 Annual Fellows Award; and honored by LexisNexis and the International Bar Association (IBA) Young Lawyers’ Committee through the establishment of the William Reece Smith, Jr. Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award, 2008; Named to CLEO Honor Roll by Council of Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO). 

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Florida

COURT ADMISSIONS

• Florida State Courts

Education

• Plant City, Florida, Public Schools;
  B.S., University of South Carolina, 1946; J.D. (first in class with high honors),
  University of Florida, 1949; LLD. (Honorary), Nova Southeastern College of Law, 2005; Rhodes Scholar, Oxford University (England), 1952.
  
  Varsity football letterman (quarterback), University of South Carolina (participated in the first Gator Bowl game); President, Omicron Delta Kappa, University of South Carolina; President, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, University of South Carolina; Editor-in-Chief, University of Florida Law Review, University of Florida; President, Student Bar Association, University of Florida; Florida Blue Key & Hall of Fame, University of Florida; Phi Kappa Phi, University of Florida; Varsity lacrosse and basketball letterman, Oxford University.