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Paige Smith
Associate Attorney
Paige Smith represents HME clients in plaintiff-side complex civil litigation, including Civil Rights, Antitrust, Environmental & Toxic Tort, and Class Action matters. Paige is an experienced litigator who has successfully briefed and argued numerous dispositive motions in both state and federal courts, negotiated favorable individual and class settlements for clients in high-stakes cases, and managed large-scale discovery and e-discovery projects. Paige has gained extensive and comprehensive experience across a range of practice areas, which has equipped her with the knowledge and skills to fiercely advocate for her clients at every stage of litigation.
Paige graduated cum laude from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2020. While attending law school, Paige externed for the Honorable Franklin U. Valderrama in the Circuit Court of Cook County, served as the Executive Notes & Comments Editor of the Chicago-Kent Law Review, and volunteered as a shift manager at the Self-Help Resource Center, a student-run help desk at the Circuit Court of Cook County that provides self-represented litigants access to legal information. Paige earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating in 2016 with a B.A. in Political Science with honors in the liberal arts. Before joining HME in 2024, Paige worked at a prominent class action law firm, where she represented plaintiffs in both individual and class actions in state and federal courts nationwide.
Paige lives in Chicago and enjoys spending her free time at local coffee shop and restaurant patios with her dog, Barry.
Practice Areas
Education
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.A., With Honors, 2016
- Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., Cum Laude, 2020
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
- Illinois (2021)
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (2021)
- U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois (2021)
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois (2021)
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin (2024)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit (2022)
Awards & Recognition
Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2024-2025
Speaking Engagements & Publications
- Paige Smith, BIPA: What Does It Stand For?, 95 Chi.-Kent L. Rev. 833 (2021)
- Paige Smith, Preemption under Federal Labor Law Could Restrict Unionized Plaintiffs’ BIPA Rights, Chi. Bar Association @theBar (Feb. 27, 2020)
Professional & Civic Organizations
Women’s Bar Association of Illinois
Notable Results
- Brian Beals Certificate of Innocence (Civil Rights): Prevailed at evidentiary hearing where the firm’s client, Brian Beals, was awarded a Certificate of Innocence after being wrongfully incarcerated for 35 years for a crime he did not commit.
- Herman Williams Wrongful Conviction (Civil Rights): Represented Herman Williams, who was wrongfully convicted of murdering his ex-wife in Lake County, Illinois. Paige and her colleagues at Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge first secured a Certificate of Innocence on behalf of Mr. Williams. Then, after just over two years of litigation, Mr. Williams was able to settle his federal lawsuit for $13 million.
- Confidential Settlement (Business Litigation): Settlement in excess of $300,000 achieved on behalf of client in breach of contract case.
