The Hon. Philip E. Smith (deceased) was a judge for Division IV of the 20th Judicial District Circuit Court of Tennessee. Smith was appointed to the bench by former Governor Phil Bredesen on March 18, 2009. He passed away on September 4, 2022.
The 20th Judicial District encompasses Davidson County.
Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Tennessee State University in 1984. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1988. He was board certified as a Family Law Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (2009).
After graduating from law school, Smith began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in the Child Support Division of the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. He served in that capacity until 1990, at which time he entered into private practice at the Norman Law Offices. Then, in 2001, he co-founded Robinson, Smith & Oglesby.
His memberships included the Tennessee Bar Association, the Tennessee Trial Judges Association, the Nashville Bar Foundation, and the Harry S. Phillips American Inn of Court. He was also a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and he taught Family Law and Domestic Trial Practice at the Nashville School of Law.
He was a recipient of the Good Guys Award from the Women’s Political Collaborative of Tennessee (2015).
Smith was registered as a Democrat.