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Michael Ray Smith

Limited liability company (LLC) Attorney at Indianapolis, IN

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also known as Harshman Ponist Smith & Rayl, LLC

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About Michael

Learn Michael’s areas of practice.

4
Practice areas

For more than fourteen years, Michael Ray Smith was in-house counsel for Eli Lilly and Company. While in Lilly’s law division, Mike worked in the environmental legal department, in the office of the corporate secretary, and, for the last ten years, in the commercial transactions group. While in commercial transactions, Mike supported the Company’s global sourcing operations, writing and negotiating contracts for all manner of goods and services, including a $1.3 billion energy management outsourcing transaction. Mike retired from Lilly in 2008 and opened a private practice in Fishers, Indiana, first known as Michael Smith Law Office, LLC, and then as Smith Rayl Law Office, LLC.  In 2018, Mike and his partner joined with other attorneys to form Hand Ponist Smith & Rayl, LLC, in Indianapolis.  Mike practices primarily business law, with a focus on limited liability companies and nonprofit organizations. 

Photos and videos

Hand Ponist partners working together

Photos and videos

Hand Ponist partners working together
Licensed for 29 years
State IN
Status Active In Good Standing
Acquired 1994
Updated 01/03/2023

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

Contact Michael

Harshman Ponist Smith & Rayl, LLC
3650 N. Washington Blvd.
Indianapolis, IN, 46205
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Resume

AVVO RATING 10.0 (Superb)

Work Experience

  • Partner
  • Harshman Ponist Smith & Rayl, LLC
  • 2018 - Present
  • Adjunct Professor
  • Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
  • 2010 - 2012
  • Contract Attorney
  • Community Development Law Center
  • 2009 - 2009
  • Adjunct Professor
  • Indiana University School of Law -- Indianapolis
  • 2009 - 2009
  • Member
  • Smith Rayl Law Office, LLC
  • 2008 - 2018
  • Attorney/Counsel
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • 1993 - 2008
  • Department Head - Biochemical Engineering
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • 1990 - 1993
  • Patent Associate
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • 1989 - 1990
  • Chemical Engineer
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • 1982 - 1989
  • Research/Teaching Assistant
  • Purdue University
  • 1980 - 1982
  • Chemical Engineer
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • 1978 - 1980
View all work experience

Education

  • Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 1993
  • Purdue University
  • MS - Master of Science
  • 1982
  • Vanderbilt University
  • BE - Bachelor of Engineering
  • 1978

Legal Cases

  • Rogers v. State, 60 N.E.3d 256 (Ind. Ct. App. 2016)
  • The tria court's decision denying client's motion to compel was reversed. There is no privilege in Indiana for unlicensed social workers.

Associations

  • Indiana State Bar Association
  • Member
  • N/A
  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers
  • Member
  • N/A
  • Indianapolis Bar Association
  • Member
  • N/A

Languages Spoken

  • English

Awards

  • Peer Review Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2022
  • Lead Counsel
  • Thomson Reuters
  • 2014
  • Heartland Pro Bono Award
  • Heartland Pro Bono Council
  • 2004
  • American Jurisprudence Award -- Family Law
  • Lawyer's Cooperative
  • 1993
  • Note Development Editor
  • Indiana Law Review
  • 1992
  • American Jurisprudence Award -- Contracts
  • Lawyer's Cooperative
  • 1989
View all awards

Publications

  • Indiana State Bar Association Business Law Section Newsletter
  • Case Summary: In re Lester Lee
  • 2015
  • Indiana State Bar Association Business Law Section Newsletter
  • The Lights Are On but Nobody's Home: LLCs with No Members
  • 2014
  • Fishers Business Insider
  • Yes, Your LLC Needs an Operating Agreement
  • 2011
  • Indiana Law Review
  • Limiting the Discretion of the Administrator of Poor Relief in Indiana
  • 1993
View all publications

Speaking Engagements

  • IndyBar CLE Seminar
  • Nonprofit Tool Kit
  • 2022
  • IndyBar CLE Seminar
  • Negotiating and Drafting Complex Contract Clauses
  • 2021
  • NBI CLE Seminar
  • Getting to Clarity: 25 Tips for Better Agreements
  • 2020
  • IndyBar CLE Seminar
  • Setting Up a 501(c)(3) Organization
  • 2020
  • NBI CLE Seminar
  • Use of LLCs in asset protection and estate planning
  • 2019
  • NBI CLE Seminar
  • Top single member LLC mistakes to avoid
  • 2019
  • NBI CLE Seminar
  • Piercing the LLC veil
  • 2019
  • NBI CLE Seminar
  • Issuing, transferring, and dividing LLC interest
  • 2019
  • Fulton County Bar Association Annual CLE Conference
  • Advising closely held for-profit businesses
  • 2019
  • Hancock County Bar Association Luncheon CLE
  • Indiana Series Limited Liability Companies
  • 2017
  • ISBA Annual Meeting
  • Indiana Series Limited Liability Companies
  • 2016
  • Indiana State Bar Association Solo/Small Firm Conference
  • Minority Ownership in Closely Held Companies
  • 2016
  • Solo & Small Firm Conference
  • Nuts and Bolts of Business Formation
  • 2015
  • NBI CLE Seminar
  • Single and Multi Member LLC Top Mistakes to Avoid
  • 2015
  • NBI CLE Seminar
  • LLC State Law Update
  • 2015
  • ISBA Annual Meeting
  • What’s the Answer? Perspectives from Those Who Negotiate, Litigate & Decide (Panel discussion)
  • 2015
  • National Business Institute Continuing Legal Education
  • What Estate Planners Need to Know about LLC Formation
  • 2013
  • National Business Institute Continuing Legal Education
  • Business Contracts from A to Z
  • 2011
  • IUPUI Solution Center's Nonprofit Solutions Community/Campus Presentations
  • Strategic Alliances for Nonprofit Organizations
  • 2009
View all speaking engagements

Attorney endorsements

Received (1)
Given (0)
Endorse Michael
Jason M Massaro headshot
Jason Massaro
Business Attorney | Nov 17
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"Mike is an exceptional business lawyer. He spends a good deal of time researching and understanding the complicated subtleties of business law and litigation. I have worked with Mike on numerous occasions and his ability to decipher complicated nuances of business law is always impressive. I endorse this lawyer."
This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.
Indianapolis Limited liability company (LLC) Lawyer Michael Ray Smith
Michael Ray Smith
Limited liability company (LLC) Attorney
Indianapolis, IN
Licensed for 29 years
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