Careers
At Smith Debnam, our philosophy is simple – to provide the best possible value to our clients. We firmly believe that the key to delivering such value is equally simple – the people who make it happen. Our most important assets are our professional service team, attorneys, paralegals, and staff. We are committed to maintaining an environment that provides professional fulfillment, actively supports professional development, and communicates the value of each person’s contributions.
The foundation for translating this philosophy into practice is our emphasis on forming strong, positive, and effective working relationships within the firm and our community. Smith Debnam ranks as one of the largest law firms in North Carolina, recognized in the legal and business community as a leader in our practice areas. We complement this long-standing reputation with partner leadership that embraces a collegial practice environment, fostering communication and cooperation on both a professional and personal level.
Professional and Community Leadership
Our leadership begins within the structure of our legal operations, wherein practice groups of attorneys, paralegals, and staff meet regularly to discuss client service and practice management issues, ideas, and opportunities. Within the legal profession, Smith Debnam is actively engaged in leadership at the State Bar level and across various national trade and membership organizations, as well as providing continuing legal education in different practice areas. In our community, we build relationships through time and resources with civic organizations that promote community welfare.
These include:
- The Triangle American Red Cross
- Ronald McDonald House of Durham and Wake County
- Backpack Buddies – North Raleigh Ministries
- Food Bank of North Carolina
- Triangle Dress for Success
- Salvation Army of Wake County
- Read and Feed
We also regularly contribute to our community by providing pro bono legal services that naturally arise in our law practice.
Professional Development Commitment
Our commitment to developing well-rounded professionals at Smith Debnam begins with our focus on continuing education. As the quality of client service hinges directly on attorneys and staff staying abreast of developments in law, business practices, and economic and technology trends, we provide our team members access to relevant continuing education, skills-based training, and information resources. We also offer structured direction for professional development through our Attorney Development Program, paralegal professional certification, and other developmental programs within the firm. As a result, successful members of our team are dedicated to continual progression in their professional skills and are motivated by a desire for excellence in client service.
Supportive Environment
The firm’s practice support structure is tailored to assist our professionals in meeting the everyday challenges of a diverse law practice. Our long-standing philosophy is to seek and implement technology solutions that increase efficiency while maintaining required security and confidentiality. As a result, we provide our employees with state-of-the-art tools to meet our clients’ needs. Our centralized administrative services also allow our professionals to devote their attention to caring for their clients’ legal needs.
While we work hard to serve our clients, Smith Debnam encourages its employees to balance their professional and personal life. Frequent special firm activities are provided to build camaraderie and provide periodic relief from the daily grind. Events such as our annual new year kick-off, holiday parties, chili cook-offs, and special recognitions and outings for attorneys, paralegals, and staff provide a fun and relaxing break while serving to strengthen our team. Through these and other special occasions, we focus on recognizing our employees’ contributions and extra effort.