Christine Smith

What are you working on right now?

The pandemic has substantially changed the way we deliver the free legal education classes that Boyd students teach to people who need information to assist them in navigating legal issues. I am proud to say that thanks to the hard work of our community partners, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and Nevada Legal Services, as well as Cliff Marcek and Sandra Rodriguez, Boyd students have been able to continue teaching the free legal education classes in ten different subjects throughout this past year. Transitioning to on-line delivery and training students on presenting in a virtual setting, while making classes as accessible as possible to people who need access to justice and legal information, has been a challenging learning experience for all of us. I am very grateful to the students who work so hard to help others and to our community partners who continue to work closely with Boyd to do the best we can helping others during these difficult times.   

When students ask what they should read outside the required textbooks and other law-related books, what do you suggest?

Since COVID hit in March 2021, I have been telling students that we have to be kind to ourselves and take time to do something we love every day.  For me that is pleasure reading.  Listening to books while on a daily walk is wonderful! So, give a gift to yourself and escape to somewhere else. A book I read recently and loved is The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates.  Reading The Water Dancer helped me better understand slavery in a way I did not understand it before. 

When life returns to normal, what do you plan to do first?

Go to sporting events.  And, I am itching to travel abroad. Touring the Douro River Valley wine country region on a Viking longship with stops in Lisbon and Salamanca, Spain, a World UNESCO site, is on the agenda for September 2022. Can’t come soon enough!