Mike Smith has practiced law since 1975 as an in-house corporate counsel, a government attorney, and an attorney with law firms, including a major international firm. Mike counsels companies on compliance with the law and has successfully represented them in arbitrations, litigation, mediation, and administrative proceedings. His clients have included companies of all sizes in a wide variety of industries, including telecommunications, education, retail, insurance, agriculture, transportation, construction, finance, manufacturing, and government contracting.

Since 2003, Mike has been heavily involved in legal work related to Afghanistan that has included assisting in drafting a labor and employment law code, obtaining a Ministry of Justice opinion that the code does not apply to Americans working on U.S. government contracts, representing the Afghan government in litigation in the U.S., advising international NGOs, and participating in an international trade project funded by USAID. He lived in Kabul while serving as the General Counsel for the American University of Afghanistan. Those experiences have enabled Mike to become knowledgeable about the legal and business environment in Afghanistan and to develop strong relationships with leaders in the public and private sectors. Businesses with operations in Afghanistan turn to him for assistance and Chambers Global has identified him as a leading attorney on Afghan law. Mike was inducted into the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers based on his professional accomplishments. He is a regular speaker at seminars and was selected to represent the American Bar Association at a conference of EU attorneys.