Article Date: Thursday, June 01, 2006
Written By: Russell Rawlings
John Troy Smith, Jr.
1942
Troy Smith, is a genuine human being who loves the practice of law and gets great pleasure out of helping people in all walks of life. Troy was attending a UNC football game in the fall of 1966 when he heard from a friend that David Ward was interested in finding a lawyer to join what was then a three-attorney firm in New Bern, North Carolina. Troy's top rank in his law school class made him appealing to prestigious law firms all over the country. He interviewed with numerous of them, but accepted the position at Ward and Tucker in New Bern.
At UNC School of Law, Troy Smith served as Editor in Chief of the North Carolina Law Review, was a member of The Order of the Coif, and received the Chief Justice Walter Clark Award.
Troy moved to New Bern in 1967 after graduating from UNC School of Law with highest honors. He joined David L. ("Libby") Ward, Sr., J. E. ("Hap") Tucker, and David L. Ward, Jr. By 1971, David L. Ward, Jr. and Troy found themselves running the firm, then located in downtown New Bern. Today, Troy and David are most often given the credit for building Ward and Smith, P.A. into a practice that serves as counsel for more mid- and large-sized businesses in the region than any other law firm.
Troy's practice in the early days was broad and general. He tried general civil litigation and cutting edge tax cases, defended criminal defendants, handled corporate and tax work, was involved in estate planning and estate administration, and closed real property transactions. Additionally, Troy worked on labor and union matters, handled issues before the North Carolina Utilities Commission, and argued cases in the various appellate courts.
Troy was instrumental in the development of an active real estate department for Ward and Smith, P.A. His abilities were recognized early on with his selection in 1973 as Chairman of the Real Property Committee (predecessor to the Real Property Section) of the North Carolina Bar Association, a position he held through 1979. In 1981, Troy was honored further by admission to the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Although his legal expertise has evolved from his early career to his current emphasis on business law, Troy's focus always remains on the client.
Of the 13,000 members of the North Carolina Bar Association, Troy joined the 80 who have been inducted since 1980 into the General Practice Hall of Fame. The honor is granted in recognition of exemplary service and high ethical and professional standards as a general practitioner of the law. To be eligible, lawyers must have practiced law for at least 25 years and be members in good standing of the State Bar; exhibit the highest standards of ethics and professional competency; and have rendered a high level of service to the legal profession and their communities. At age 61, Troy received the honor much earlier in his career than most other recipients.
Troy's personal office space reveals more of his personality. Photos of family members and mementoes line shelf tops, interspersed with plaques, diplomas, and certificates of recognition. His desk is cluttered with papers, books, and reports, along with four vacuum-packed packages of tuna. A tropical plant sits neglected in the corner. A baseball hat embroidered with "Hall of Fame" is perched on a shelf, a joke gift from colleagues upon his return from the ceremony.
When service to the community is examined, committee memberships, chairmanships, and titles often are seen as the measure of one's performance. Troy Smith has been involved statewide in his support of the North Carolina State Bar and the North Carolina Bar Association. On behalf of the State Bar, Troy served as a member of the General Statutes Commission Code Committee from 1978 through 1981. At the Bar Association, he served as a member of the Board of Governors from 1973 through 1976, as Chairman of the Special Committee on Recodification of General Statutes from 1976 through 1981, and as Chairman of the Real Property Committee from 1973 through 1979. Additionally, he has made numerous CLE presentations on behalf of the Bar Association. Troy has been a member of the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Visitors, has had membership on various committees at the UNC School of Law, and has participated in numerous civic causes.
Among other accomplishments, Troy has been included in The Best Lawyers in America and has been rated by his peers as being "preeminent" in his respective field of law. Troy has also been recognized in "Legal Elite," a list of the best attorneys in the state by Business North Carolina, and in "Super Lawyers," a list of top North Carolina attorneys by North Carolina Super Lawyers.
Troy relaxes by spending time with his family, including his 2 daughters, Cooper Smith Biersach and Amanda Smith Kingsbury, and 2 grandchildren, Elizabeth and William Biersach. A self-admitted "water freak," he enjoys boating on weekends and finds minor repair work on his boat "therapeutic." He took his first two-week vacation ever in June, 2003, to spend time at the beach with his then 4-year-old granddaughter, Elizabeth.
Troy doesn't anticipate retiring any time soon. He continues contributing to the success of his law firm and the community, taking the recent honor of his inclusion in the Justice Fund in stride.
Contributors to the John Troy Smith, Jr. Justice Fund
- William Joseph Austin, Jr., Raleigh
- Carroll M. Baggett, Chapel Hill
- Carl F. Barwick, New Bern
- Albert Robert Bell, Jr., Raleigh
- Jennifer Lynn Bowman, New Bern
- James Lee Davis, New Bern
- Stuart Battle Dorsett, Raleigh
- William S. Durr, New Bern
- Donalt J. Eglinton, New Bern
- Albert Charles Ellis, Greenville
- Lynwood Paul Evans, Greenville
- Paul Adams Fanning, Greenville
- James Michael Fields, Greenville
- First Citizens Bank & Trust, Raleigh
- Michael P. Flanagan, Greenville
- George Kirby Freeman, Jr., Wilmington
- Samuel McKinley Gray, III, New Bern
- Lewis R. Holding, Raleigh
- Merrill Glenn Jones, II, Greenville
- William R. Lathan, Jr., New Bern
- Cheryl Ann Marteney, New Bern
- John M. Martin, Greenville
- W. Daniel Martin, III, Wilmington
- William E. Martin, New Bern
- Jeffrey S. Matthews, Warsaw
- Hugh Robert Overholt, New Bern
- Gregory T. Peacock, New Bern
- C. H. Pope, Jr., New Bern
- Edward Knox Proctor, V, New Bern
- Gary J. Rickner, New Bern
- Clinton D. Routson, New Bern
- Stanley M. Sams, Greenville
- Frank H. Sheffield, Jr., New Bern
- John Reeves Sloan, Wilmington
- H. L. Stephenson, III, Greenville
- Ryal Woodall Tayloe, Wilmington
- Jerry M. Wallace, New Bern
- Leigh Allred Wilkinson, New Bern
- A. Rexford Willis, III, New Bern
- B. Kenneth Ray Wooten, New Bern