Sheniece Smith

Sheniece Smith joined Children’s Hospital Orange County (CHOC) in 2008 as a paralegal and advanced her career as she simultaneously worked her way through law school. Smith graduated, cum laude, from the University of La Verne College of Law in 2012.

Immediately after passing the bar in 2012, she assumed the role of associate counsel at CHOC. In 2014, Smith was promoted to associate general counsel. In this role, she was responsible for the daily operations of the legal department, including general corporate matters, labor matters, regulatory compliance and litigation. She also hired, trained and supervised the legal staff. Smith provided legal counsel to the organization’s leaders through direct advice and oversight of outside counsel on strategic initiatives and various risk issues. In December 2017, Smith was promoted to chief of staff and senior counsel to the CEO. In this role, she continues to provide legal advice to the organization's leaders while acting as a member of the business team and advancing the priorities of the CEO’s office.

In 2013, Smith founded H.O.P.E. Through Affordable Legal Services as a community benefit project to bridge the gap between pro bono services and full attorney fees, by increasing access to quality legal services for low-income individuals. In one year, the law firm assisted nearly 100 underserved individuals.

In 2014, she launched Family Legal Assistance at CHOC Children’s, a medical-legal partnership, to provide free guardianship and conservatorship services to CHOC families who otherwise would not be able to afford the services. This program continues to serve approximately 75 patient families each year.

Smith also developed a law clerk program at CHOC to allow students to enhance their legal skills through assisting on projects in the legal department and direct contact with the families receiving services through Family Legal Assistance at CHOC Children’s. Each semester, she develops a curriculum designed to maximize the learning opportunities for these students. Smith has mentored many students over the years, appeared as a guest speaker in various classrooms and presented MCLE programs. 

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

Daily Herald
July 12, 2020
Re: Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed opposing President Trump's recent decision to bar international students from returning to the United States in the fall if their universities are not fully reopen. "If Donald Trump has his way, Harvard's 5,000 international students will either be deported or denied entry for the fall semester, not because they are threatening anyone but because President Trump has decided to use them as pawns to force universities to open up for in-person classes," she wrote.

RECENT SCHOLARSHIP

Thomas D. Lyon
May, 2020

“Young children's ability to describe intermediate clothing placement,” (with Breanne Wylie, Stacia N. Stolzenberg, Kelly McWilliams, and Angela D. Evans) Child Maltreatment.

Nomi Stolzenberg
May, 2020

"The Great Schism: Battles for Control in the Satmar Community," Progressive Property Conference, Fordham Law School, New York, NY.

Nomi Stolzenberg
May, 2020

Nomi Stolzenberg participated in an online conversation, "Who Are the Haredim? A Decade of Research on Kiryas Joel, New York," with B'Nai David-Judea.