Dorothy Houston Smith

After obtaining her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), Beth decided to continue her studies at the University of Mississippi School of Law where she obtained her Juris Doctor degree in 2006.  Following law school, Beth was honored to receive a clerkship for the Honorable Arthur B. Briskman, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division.  Thereafter, she was hired as a career law clerk for the Honorable Gregory J. Kelly, United States Magistrate Judge, in Orlando.  During these clerkships, Beth honed her legal research and writing skills by drafting memoranda, orders, and reports and recommendations on a variety of legal issues. 

After serving as Judge Kelly’s law clerk for four years in Orlando, Beth married her husband, Joel, and they relocated to State College, Pennsylvania, where Joel pursued his business in the oil and gas industry.  For the next several years, Beth stepped away from the legal profession to start a family.  She and Joel now have two children, Sawyer and Houston. The family has recently returned “home” to Oxford where Beth and Joel initially met, and she has resumed her career as an associate for Freeland Martz, PLLC.  Beth is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association.