Biography
I'm an associate solicitor in the Family team in Bristol. I’ve enjoyed exposure to a wide range of cases since qualifying in 2019, particularly those with complex financial elements.
I advise clients on the legal issues arising from the breakdown of a relationship between married couples, civil partners and unmarried couples. I also focus on family finance matters, cohabitation disputes and children matters.
I achieved a first class honours in law at Cardiff University. I then trained as a solicitor at Wales’ largest regional law firm, gaining experience across a range of private client areas, including taxation and trusts.
I won the Janet Forbes Prize for Family Law from Bristol Law School in 2017.
What inspired you to get into law?
I’m interested in people. I wanted to work in an area that gives me the opportunity to build relationships with people, understand their issues thoroughly, and support and guide them through the whole process.
What's the most rewarding aspect of your role?
Supporting people through changes in their lives is a real privilege. They may feel overwhelmed and apprehensive when I first meet them, and helping them achieve a properly resourced and hopeful future is hugely gratifying.
What do you like about working at Irwin Mitchell?
Irwin Mitchell provides people with an exceptional standard of advice and fantastic care. Working in a firm with a shared ethos of excellence gives me confidence that everyone will achieve the best possible standard of representation.
What do you do away from the office?
You'll most likely find me indulging at one of the many fabulous independent restaurants and pubs Bristol has to offer.
My partner is a very keen dinghy sailor. If the weather's good, you may find me crewing a double hander. But if it's bad, I'll likely be in the sailing club bar.
Testimonials
“Connie Smith is...a first-class practitioner.” – Legal 500, 2022
"Constance Smith, supported by Hannah Saxe and Zoe Livadeas, provided consistent advice to me throughout the divorce process. Having spoken with Hannah initially I felt empowered through the thorough information she provided about family law and its application to my situation. Constance maintained regular contact replying to every query or anxiety I had with clarity and empathy which was vital at a time of great personal difficulty for me... I am truly grateful to Constance and her team." - 5* Trustpilot review
"Connie was very proactive and helped me every step of the way through an extremely difficult divorce which was made even harder due to COVID. Thank you Connie and your associates." - 5* Trustpilot review
"Connie Smith was absolutely brilliant in handling my divorce case, being empathetic, understanding, and always there to help. Taler Kelly, the paralegal I also had the pleasure of working with, was super responsive, helpful, and again very empathetic to everything going on in such a difficult personal matter. I would not only highly recommend them, but have since had queries for them unrelated to my divorce and have received prompt feedback and help with the utmost professionalism! Thank you so much for all you did for me!" - 5* Trustpilot review
"I couldn’t have wished for a better legal team. Mark Hands, Jonathan Nosworthy, Connie Smith and Shannon Park. When you’re facing someone who just wants to suck the life out of you this is the team you need on your side... Supported by Connie and Shannon my best interests were always top priority... I can genuinely say it has been a pleasure working with the Irwin Mitchell team." - 5* Trustpilot review
"...Throughout the 8 month process, Connie has been available to speak to, we have always found her approachable and when we wanted to query issues that arose, she explained the best way forward financially. We had a clear understanding of fees and this was managed monthly, our worry was with the budget, while everyone wants to fight, it's difficult to predict how the other party can force the bills by non-compliance. We were grateful for Connie's support and happy with the outcome. We would highly recommend you contact Connie for all family law issues." - 5* Trustpilot review
"Thank you so much for your support through this very difficult and drawn out process. As a professional, but also seeing beyond litigation at the personal lives you indirectly help to start again.
You have a confident, compassionate and reassuring manner to you and for that I was grateful." - Connie's client
