Attorney Michael Ray Smith worked as in-house counsel at Eli Lilly and Company for more than fourteen years, practicing in the environmental group, the securities group, and the commercial transactions group. He brings this extensive business law experience to his private practice, where he concentrates on providing personal service and practical advice to businesses and nonprofit organizations.

While working as an attorney with Lilly’s commercial transactions group, Michael worked on a variety of strategic sourcing initiatives, joint ventures, and other transactions. He also developed a system for writing and maintaining contract templates for use by the company’s procurement professionals in areas as diverse as laboratory research, construction, advertising, and market research.

For thirteen years, before graduating from law school, Mike worked for the same company as a chemical engineer in manufacturing and process development areas and as a department head of biochemical engineering.

Michael took an early retirement from Lilly in 2008 to start his private law practice, concentrating on business organizations and nonprofit organizations, including those that serve the needs of the less fortunate, relying on his broad experience in commercial transactions to help meet his clients' business needs. He chose to locate his office in Fishers because it is a strong, vibrant, growing community of families, businesses and other organizations.

Mike has always been concerned about the delivery of legal services to those who can't afford a lawyer, an interest reflected in his work at Lilly. While there, he created and led a pro bono program for Lilly attorneys and established relationships between the Lilly Law Division and two Indianapolis legal service providers.  A relationship with the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society enabled Lilly volunteer attorneys to represent low income individuals in court.  A similar relationship with the Community Development Law Center (or CDLC, which at the time was known as the Community Organizations Legal Assistance Project, or COLAP) gave Lilly attorneys the opportunity to provide legal services to nonprofits working in low income communities.  Mike served as a volunteer attorney with both organizations and also served on the Board of Directors and as President of CDLC. In 2004, the Indiana Heartland Pro Bono Council honored him with the Heartland Pro Bono Award in recognition of his work with the Lilly pro bono program and with CDLC.

Michael also has a passion for teaching.  After he left Lilly, he spent a semester supervising law students in a externship program jointly conducted by CDLC and the Indiana University School of Law -- Indianapolis, and he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at the same school, teaching a course in Contract Drafting to second year law students.

In addition to being admitted to practice law in the State of Indiana, he is also admitted in the U.S. District Court, Northern Indiana; the U.S. District Court, Southern Indiana; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit.