Brooke N. Smith

Brooke N. Smith is a Lecturer in the University of Kansas Criminal Justice Department and a Lead Assistant Capital Defender with the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services. She serves as lead counsel in capital habeas cases, directing litigation strategy, managing multidisciplinary defense teams, and representing clients in post-conviction proceedings.

With nearly a decade of experience as a public defender, her expertise spans felony and misdemeanor trial practice, diversion and treatment courts, and capital post-conviction litigation. She previously worked with the Arkansas Public Defender Commission as a felony trial attorney and as the public defender for the state’s largest drug court program, where she focused on diversion, trauma-informed advocacy, and clients with substance use and mental health disorders.

In the classroom, her teaching explores the operation of justice systems, emphasizing the complexities of sentencing practices and the causes of legal failures. Her experience as a practitioner allows her to bridge the gap between theoretical doctrine and real-world implementation. 

She holds a J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law and is licensed to practice law in Kansas and Arkansas.