Breaking the Ice: Small-town practice fulfills Grand Marais native

Listen to this article

Tyson Smith says clients of his Grand Marais-based firm appreciate that he’s a general practitioner, an increasing rarity in rural areas.

“It’s probably more appropriate to say they demand it,” Smith said. Smith Law is the only private general practice firm in Lake County, he said. The next closest options are two hours away in Duluth.

“People trust you to be the responsible person for answering all questions of law,” Smith said. That works in most civil and even criminal matters; he refers cases “on the edges” to specialists.

Smith recently earned certification as a real property law specialist from the Minnesota State Bar Association. He likes real estate law and wanted added credibility in that area.

Born and raised in Grand Marais, Smith returned after working in Cloquet and St. Paul.

“I love it here,” Smith said. “It’s a place where I can make a living and there’s a need up here to do it.”

Name: Tyson Smith

Title: Partner, Smith Law

Education: B.A., Asian languages and literature, University of Minnesota; J.D., William Mitchell College of Law

Q: Best way to start a conversation with you?

A: Hello.

Q: Why law school?

A: When I was 18, I served as foreman on a criminal sexual conduct trial up here. I was working at a local lumber mill as a chain off-bearer, lifting heavy wood and moving it from one chain to another, in the heat, in air saturated with hydraulic oil and sawdust — and the courthouse is air-conditioned. I also loved the courtroom experience. I graduated from college in 2010, which wasn’t a great time to look for a job. The two experiences kind of made the connection. I also have always been terribly offended by what I view as unfair. Being a lawyer is one of the few places where when you see something that isn’t fair, you can do something about it.

Q: What are you reading?

A: “Seven Ways to Trick a Troll,” by Lise Lunge-Larsen. I read it to my son every night.

Q: Pet peeve?

A: People who don’t wear life jackets in the Boundary Waters, in canoes. I work as a search-and-rescue responder. If you had any idea the hours that go into finding someone who’s died there. Putting that aside for a minute, all you had to do was not worry about tan lines and buckle up.

Q: Best part of your work?

A: Delivering good news.

Q: Most challenging?

A: Telling your client, “I’ve made a mistake.” You have to rip that Band-Aid off right away. I think about those times all the time, because they form your practice. That’s why it’s called the practice of law.

Q: Favorite activity away from work?

A: I love being in the woods. I cross-country ski, I snowmobile. I basically grew up in the Boundary Waters with the number of trips my family took.

Q: Where would you take someone visiting your hometown?

A: There’s a meadow not far from my home that you can walk to on the Superior Hiking Trail. It has a panoramic view that on a clear day, you can see the Apostle Islands, the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale. They call it Wildflower Hill. It’s spectacular.

Q: Legal figure you admire?

A: [The late] Robert Lawton, a lawyer in St. Paul who did public defense work for Ramsey County Public Defender. I interned as a law clerk there. I learned more from Bob about how to practice law than probably any other lawyer. He was gruff and could be so abrasive if you didn’t know him. But one of the most wonderful, caring lawyers I ever met, doing hard work that was thankless, unforgiving.

Q: Misconception about your work?

A: That lawyers can somehow change the facts. Facts are what they are. We just work with them.

Q: Favorite book, movie or TV show about lawyers?

A: The first season of “The Lincoln Lawyer” was excellent because it had the most true-to-form explanation of how a jury trial works that I’ve ever seen in media.