I offer legal guidance to small business owners, entrepreneurs, and tax-exempt organizations throughout Indiana. My practice covers a range of activities including the formation of businesses and nonprofit corporations, the acquisition and sale of businesses, contract negotiations, resolution of business disputes, and the protection of rights for businesses and nonprofits. I have a broad background in forming and advising LLCs and assisting tax-exempt entities, particularly 501(c)(3) organizations. I also handle both civil and criminal appeals for my clients.
Originally from Tennessee, I have been a resident of Indiana since 1978, starting when I joined Eli Lilly and Company in Lafayette. After two years, I pursued an M.S. in chemical engineering from Purdue University on educational leave. I returned to Lilly in Indianapolis, working in research and development and leading an engineering department, which honed my leadership skills that are now greatly valued by business owners.
In 1989, while still employed full-time, I began my legal studies and graduated summa cum laude with a J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 1993. I then moved to Lilly’s Law Division, where I developed my knowledge in Environmental Law, Securities, and Commercial Transactions, and led the division’s pro bono program.
In 2008, I established a business law practice in Fishers, and a decade later, in 2018, I co-founded Harshman Ponist Smith & Rayl, LLC. I also serve as an adjunct professor at IU McKinney and conduct continuing education courses for legal and financial professionals. Since 2009, I have written the *Indiana Business Law Blog*, offering practical insights for business owners and nonprofit leaders.
Outside of my legal practice, I enjoy backpacking, fishing, kayaking, gardening with native plants, and crafting with vintage hand tools.
- Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
- J.D. (1993) | Law
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- Honors: summa cum laude
- Activities: Note Development Editor, Indiana Law Review
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- Purdue University - Purdue University
- M.S. (1982) | Chemical Engineering
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- Activities: Research in the possible application of ion exchange technology in artificial kidneys.
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- Vanderbilt University
- B.E. (1978) | Chemical Engineering
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- Honors: summa cum laude
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- Partner
- Harshman Ponist Smith & Rayl, LLC
- - Current
- Member
- Smith Rayl Law Office, LLC
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- Originally Michael Smith Law Office, LLC
- Adjunct Professor
- Indiana University School of Law -- Indianapolis
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- Taught Contract Drafting to law students
- Adjunct Professor
- Indiana University School of Law -- Indianapolis
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- Conducted the Nonprofit Externship Program for law students at the Community Development Law Center.
- Contract Attorney
- Community Development Law Center
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- Attorney/Counsel
- Eli Lilly and Company
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- 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.
- Indiana Business Law Blog
- Harshman Ponist Smith & Rayl, LLC
- Yes, Your LLC Needs an Operating Agreement
- Fishers Business Insider
- Limiting the Discretion of the Administrator of Poor Relief in Indiana
- Indiana Law Review
- Advising Closely Held For-Profit Businesses, Annual CLE Conference, Rochester, IN
- Fulton County Bar Association
- Heartland Pro Bono Award
- Heartland Pro Bono Council
- Indiana State Bar Association
- Member
- Current
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- American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- Member
- Current
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- Indianapolis Bar Association
- Member
- Current
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- Indiana
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- D.C. Circuit
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- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana
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- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana
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Credit Cards Accepted
Visa, MasterCard, Discover -
Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
Payment plans may be available in appropriate situations.
- Business Law
- Business Contracts, Business Dissolution, Business Formation, Franchising, Mergers & Acquisitions, Partnership & Shareholder Disputes
- Estate Planning
- Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- Appeals & Appellate
- Civil Appeals
- Limited Liability Companies
- Nonprofit Organizations
- English: Spoken, Written
- Q. Options if home purchase and less than six mths later find there is mold, water damage, etc?
- A: I'm sure you were looking for something more helpful than this, but to get an answer to your question, your daughter needs to call an attorney, preferably one who handles a lot of residential real estate matters.
- Q. Can I place a construction lein on a nursing home in Indiana for worked preformed
- A: Maybe, depending on the facts. One particularly important fact is how long it has been since you worked on the project. For this type of construction, assuming the nursing home is privately owned (other rules apply if it is publicly owned), you have 90 days after the last day you provided labor on the project to record a notice of intent to hold a lien with the county recorder in the county in which the construction project is located.
The Indiana Mechanic's Lien statute also provides another remedy that may or may not be helpful, assuming you were not hired directly by the owner of the project but rather by a general contractor or subcontractor. You may be be able to send the owner ... Read More
- Q. One of my parent's will was rewritten in the last couple of years and heavily favors the executor and their family.
- A: Your suspicions may be well founded, but I don't think anyone can give you satisfactory answers to your questions in this forum. You should hire an attorney who handles estate planning and probate matters, lay out everything you know, and get the lawyer's advice on your chances of success if you challenge the validity of the will. Whether money well is spent on legal fees depends, in part, on how much the estate is worth and what your share might be. It makes no sense to spend, say, $20,000 in legal fees if the most you stand to inherit is $10,000. There may also be other, non-financial considerations to consider, such as the possibility of damaging family relationships in a will ... Read More