General Counsel

Claudia Kennedy Smith proudly serves as General Counsel for the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles. In this role, Smith leads the Bureau’s Legal Division by providing strategic legal advice, managing litigation and overseeing agency policy.

Smith has more than 26 years of quality legal experience representing the State of Alabama with a focus on employment law, civil litigation in both state and federal courts, labor relations, regulatory compliance, public contracting and procurement, administrative law, legislation and ethics compliance.

Before joining ABPP, Smith served as General Counsel for almost seven years at the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs after serving as Assistant General Counsel for the prior 12 years.  While at ADECA, Smith’s responsibilities included litigation and overseeing litigation, managing the legal aspects of federally funded programs, developing agency and program policies, monitoring proposed legislation and assisting in the implementation of legislation enacted into law.  She further provided legal oversight for contract and grant development.

Her career with the State of Alabama further includes serving at the Office of the Attorney General and the Alabama Department of Mental Health. Smith began her legal career as Judicial Law Clerk for Circuit Judge Charles Price of the Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Smith holds her Juris Doctor from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. She received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Spring Hill College.