Mariel Smith

Mariel Smith’s primary practice is Labor & Employment Law. She has years of experience defending companies in lawsuits and prelitigation investigations involving the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, Georgia Department of Labor, and the U.S. International Trade Commission. Her litigation experience in Employment and Labor Law include defending employers in wage and hour, discrimination and harassment claims. She also has experience in representing clients in mediation. She assists clients in workplace internal investigations and workforce reductions.

Mrs. Smith originally joined the Columbus office of HBS in 2011 after she worked for several years as a Superior Court Judicial law clerk and subsequently as an Assistant District Attorney, all for the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. During her first few years at HBS, Mrs. Smith also served as the Associate Magistrate Judge for Muscogee County and occasionally filled in on the bench for Municipal Court, presiding over civil lawsuits, criminal first appearance hearings, truancy hearings, and warrant applications.

Mrs. Smith left HBS in 2017 to work as General Counsel for a Global Manufacturing Company and recently returned to HBS in 2019. During her time as General Counsel, Mrs. Smith managed complex litigation, including lawsuits involving products liability matters, patent infringement and trade secret theft, and also maintained the Company’s trademark and patent inventory. She gained a significant amount of experience in negotiating, revising, and managing agreements including those with two of the largest multinational retail corporations. She has also successfully negotiated international agreements as related to Operations and Procurement in the Manufacturing Industry. Mrs. Smith has unique expertise in Consumer Law, particularly as related to eCommerce, Business Compliance Consumer Privacy Laws, packaging, labeling.

University of Arkansas School of Law

J.D. (2007)

2004 - 2007

Attorney

Hall Booth Smith, P.C.

2011 - Current

General Counsel

Masterbuilt Manufacturing, LLC

2017 - 2019

Associate Magistrate Judge

Magistrate Court of Muscogee County, Georgia

2013 - 2015

Assistant District Attorney

Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit

2011 - 2011

Judicial Law Clerk

Chattahoocheed Judicial Circuit

2008 - 2011

State Bar of Georgia  # 707608

Member

Current

Georgia

State Bar of Georgia