Gregory D. Smith
Mr. Smith is a family law lawyer with 36 years of experience whose practice focuses on complex, difficult disputes between spouses and former spouses. In addition to serving as the office executive member of the Stites Nashville/Franklin offices since 2014, he leads a team of five attorneys, two paralegals, and two staff who cover everything family law-related. His practice includes sophisticated financial issues such as valuation and distribution of businesses, business assets, real estate, retirement accounts and more; divorce and post-divorce matters involving children; and alimony and other forms of spousal support. The attorneys in the Stites domestic group, including Mr. Smith, also have experience in litigation involving the application of the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction— international custody cases governed by federal law and international law.
Mr. Smith also has experience handling creditors' rights and commercial litigation matters in both Tennessee state and federal courts.
Regular seminars for the Tennessee Bar Association, the Nashville Bar Association; the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association; Tennessee Attorneys’ Memo; Tennessee; Tennessee Society of CPAs; Williamson County Bar Association; Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators; National Business Institute; and more
(1999-Present) (Topics include ethics, case law updates; mediation; and more)
Annual updates to the Alimony Bench Book
prepared for Tennessee trial judges by the Tennessee Bar Association, Family Law Section (2014-present)
Annual updates to Richards on Tennessee Family Law (with Brent Lankford), the leading treatise on the topic
(2015-present)
2020 Domestic Case Law Update
Tennessee Judicial Conference, October 2020
Grandparent Visitation in Tennessee: A Study in Case Law
Nashville School of Law, November 19, 2019
Tennessee Attorneys Memo
2018 Family Conference for Tennessee Practitioners, December 7, 2018
New Law Update: Family Law Cases
January 2, 2015 through July 5, 2016, Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators Summary of New Cases in Family Law and Divorce, August 2016
Case law updates to the Tennessee Judicial Conference (a continuing legal education seminar for Tennessee’s trial and appellate judges) on new cases and statutory changes in family law
(2012-present)
Computer and Electronic Snooping: Opportunities to Violate State and Federal Law
Co-author, 34 Am. J. Tr. Advoc. 473 (2011)
Office Executive Member - Nashville office
Management Committee Member (two terms 2007-2011)
Active in other firm committees, including recruiting, compensation, and nominating committees
Vanderbilt University Law School
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American Jurisprudence Awards in Contracts and Criminal Constitutional Law
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
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University of Wales, Swansea, Wales (1976-1977)
Mr. Smith's practice includes both trial and appellate work. His appeals include a Tennessee Supreme Court case that set the standard for subject matter jurisdiction in child support cases. He has handled numerous other appeals involving modification of alimony and child support, jurisdiction in child custody disputes, and many other issues.
Cycling, fishing, board gaming, reading and bicycle building (not too good at that last one, or any of the rest for that matter, but still trying)
Active with a group of tandem cyclists who provide training/exercise and the opportunity to ride bikes to Nashville-area blind cyclists, through the help of the Harpeth Bike Club.
American College of Trial Lawyers, North America’s preeminent organization of trial lawyers
Martindale-Hubbell® AV-Preeminent® Peer Review Rated
Best Lawyers in America®, Family Law (2008-21)
Best Lawyers in America®, Nashville Area Lawyer of the Year for Family Law (2016, 2018)
Mid-South Super Lawyers® (2008-20)
Mid-South Super Lawyers® Top 50 Nashville Lawyers (2018, 2019, 2020)
Mid-South Super Lawyers® Top 100 Tennessee Lawyers (2018, 2019, 2020)
Nashville Business Journal, Best of the Bar (2003, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2018, 2019)
Nashville Bar Association, Joseph G. Cummings Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year award (1996); Mentor for two other members in the firm, each of whom won the same award as associates on the State level in 2004 and 2014
100 Best Lawyers In Nashville, Nashville Business Journal
