Christina Smedley

Nurturing a Passion for Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law at Faraj Law Firm

Legal Career

Ms. Smedley was accepted to the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. After one year, she transferred to DePaul University to study Intellectual Property Law. While at DePaul, Ms. Smedley served as the seminar articles editor for the Journal of Art, Technology, and Intellectual Property Law (JATIP) and was published in the spring 2014 edition. She graduated in May 2015 with a certificate in Intellectual Property Law, passed the bar exam on her first try, and was sworn in as an attorney in November 2015.

While attending law school, Katie was selected as Chair of the Trial Advocacy Honors Program and participated in various trial competitions across the state. She was a member of the Southwestern Journal of International Law and served as a Certified Law Clerk for the Los Angeles County District Attorney ’s Office, Preliminary Hearings Division. Because of her commitment to learning and training to pursue a career as an effective trial attorney, Southwestern’s Dean selected Katie as the recipient of the “Excellence in Preparation for Trial Practice” Award from the American Board of Trial Advocates, a distinguished award presented to only one student from each graduating class.
After graduating from law school, Katie continued to sharpen her trial skills by participating in the highly recognized American Board of Trial Advocates Fellowship. Katie's diverse experience, including working behind the bench and with both criminal and civil trial attorneys, gives her a unique insight into all aspects of litigation.
Ms. Smedley is a phenomenal writer, which is an indispensable skill in the legal world. Although she primarily handles civil rights cases, contracts, and business disputes, she participates in major writing projects for all firm cases, including catastrophic injury cases. Ms. Smedley works closely with the firm’s trial attorneys to ensure they understand all potential legal issues and are in the best legal position possible before trial. Ms. Smedley has had continued success keeping cases alive, despite repeated attempts by the defense to have those cases thrown out prior to trial. This enables our team to obtain significant settlements and trial verdicts on behalf of our clients.
When Ms. Smedley is not busy with her writing projects, she enjoys listening to a variety of podcasts, including true crime and political podcasts. She also enjoys refreshing her Spanish-speaking skills by using a variety of applications and even watching Spanish TV. She hopes to become fluent in Spanish within the next few years.
Ms. Smedley is admitted to practice law in the state of Illinois and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and Illinois State Bar Association.

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