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Paul Smith serves as special counsel in the firm’s Glenwood Springs office. Paul has more than 15 years of legal experience. His practice focuses on estate planning, probate and trust administration, and business formation and succession planning.
Paul has lived and practiced law in the Roaring Fork Valley for almost 10 years. He began his legal career practicing insurance defense litigation in Chicago and Albuquerque, relocating to his wife’s home state of Colorado after she completed her medical school and residency training.
Paul lost a parent as a child and understands the emotional hardship of losing a family member, as well as the importance of planning for death or disability. During a probate or the trust administration process, he treats each client as he would want his own family member treated during a difficult time.
In his estate planning practice, Paul enjoys working with clients to create custom estate plans designed to accomplish each client’s specific goals, including planning for estate and income tax, minor children, blended families, small business owners, a special needs beneficiary, vacation properties, and asset protection. He prides himself on communicating well with clients, so they understand and appreciate the objective of each document within their estate plan and know how it accomplishes their specific goals.
Paul also enjoys working with small business owners through both the formation process and succession planning or sale of their business. He believes it is important for a business client to have a team that includes the client’s accountant and financial advisor, to ensure the client is receiving not only important legal advice, but also tax and investment advice with respect to their business planning.
Paul serves as President of the Ross Montessori School board and as a member of the Internal Funding Committee at Valley View Hospital. He has coached various youth sports teams. Outside of work, Paul enjoys playing ice hockey, skiing, hiking, studying all things automotive, and traveling with his wife and three sons.
- Estate Planning
- Estate and Gift Tax Planning
- Business Formation
- Business Succession Planning
- Probate
- Trust Administration
- DePaul University College of Law, J.D., 2005
- Saint Louis University, B.A. magna cum laude, 2002
- Colorado, 2012
- New Mexico, 2006
- Illinois, 2005
- United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, 2006
- Colorado Bar Association
Trust & Estate Section
Business Law Section - New Mexico Bar Association
- Ninth Judicial District Bar Association
- Baby Boomers: How to reach clients who don’t want to be Elderly?, Colorado Elder Law Handbook, CLE in Colorado., Inc., 2017
- Fiduciaries, Chapter 24, Vol. 2, Colorado Estate Planning Handbook, Seventh Edition, CLE in Colorado, Inc., 2017
- Fiduciaries, Chapter 24, Vol. 2, Colorado Estate Planning Handbook, Sixth Edition, CLE in Colorado, Inc., 2016
- Trust and Estate Law, 2015 Annual Survey of Colorado Law, CLE in Colorado, Inc., 2015
- Trust and Estate Law, 2014 Annual Survey of Colorado Law, CLE in Colorado, Inc., 2014
- Trust and Estate Law, 2013 Annual Survey of Colorado Law, CLE in Colorado, Inc., 2013
- Issues with Death and Dying, Colorado Mountain College, Glenwood Springs, Colorado, 2022
- Trust and Estate Case Law and Legislative Update, Colorado Bar Association CLE, 37th Annual Estate Planning Retreat, Vail, Colorado, 2017
- Trust and Estate Case Law and Legislative Update, Colorado Bar Association CLE, 36th Annual Estate Planning Retreat, Snowmass, Colorado, 2016
- Estate Planning Basics, Adventures in Aging, hosted by Glenwood Springs Post Independent, Carbondale, Colorado, 2016
- Medicaid: Planning with and Valuation of Unique Assets, Colorado Bar Association CLE, 8th Annual Elder Law Retreat, Vail, Colorado, 2016
- Trust and Estate Case Law and Legislative Update, for Colorado Bar Association CLE, Denver, Colorado, 2015
- Trust and Estate Case Law and Legislative Update, Colorado Bar Association CLE, Denver, Colorado, 2014
- Trust and Estate Case Law and Legislative Update, Colorado Bar Association CLE, Denver, Colorado, 2013
- Ross Montessori School Board
President
Member, Policy, Governance, and Strategic Leadership Committees - Valley View Hospital Foundation Internal Funding Committee, Member
- Glenwood Springs Youth Hockey Association
Squirt A and Mite teams, Level 3 USAH Coach