Wes Smith was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and soon moved to a ranch near Duncan, Oklahoma. He grew up there and graduated as the Valedictorian of Velma-Alma High School in 1986. After high school, he moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma to attend Oklahoma State University. At OSU he was active in Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, was a member of the President's and Dean's Honor Roll and was chosen Top 5 among Greek pledges his freshman year. Wes graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics in 1991. During college he founded Cowboy Towing which he operated until 1995.
The sale of his business brought Wes north to Lawrence, Kansas to attend law school at the University of Kansas. While at KU he was a staff member of the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy, where he also served as Student Articles Editor. He also was chosen as a teacher's assistant to Legal Research and Writing and worked as a law clerk to Stumbo Hanson. Wes graduated with his Juris Doctorate from KU in 1997. Upon graduation, Wes was hired by Stumbo Hanson as an associate attorney. His practice is concentrated on primarily representing debtors and creditors in consumer, farm and small business reorganization cases under Chapters 7, 11, 12 and 13 of the bankruptcy code. He also practices in the commercial litigation arena, and has served a city prosecutor for the cities of Mayetta and Eskridge since 1998. Wes is admitted to practice in Kansas, the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri and the District of Nebraska.
Wes is a member of the Kansas and Topeka Bar Associations and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is a past President of the Topeka Area Bankruptcy Council and is active in the Sam A. Crow American Inn of Court, where he has served as program director and on the Executive Committee. He is the 2007-2008 Bankruptcy and Insolvency Section President of the Kansas Bar Association. Wes also serves as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Kansas where he teaches Commercial Law-Secured Transactions and is frequently a lecturer in continuing education classes on secured lending and bankruptcy.
Wes lives in Lawrence with his wife Lisa and his three kids, Braden, Bryce and Emma-Frances.
Current Employment Position(s):Areas Of Practice:Partner
City Prosecutor, Cities of Mayetta and Eskridge, Kansas, since 1998Bankruptcy LawBar Admissions:
Business & Commercial
Kansas, 1998Education:
U.S. District Court District of Kansas
U.S. District Court Western District of Missouri
U.S. District Court District of NebraskaUniversity of Kansas School of Law, Lawrence, Kansas, 1997, J.D.Professional Associations and Memberships:
Honors: Teacher's Assistant, Legal Research and Writing
Law Journal: Staff Member and Student Articles Editor, Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy
Oklahoma State University, 1991, B.S.
Honors: Delta Tau Delta Fraternity
Honors: President's Honor Roll
Honors: Dean's Honor Roll
Major: Agricultural EconomicsKansas Bar Association, MemberClasses/Seminars Taught:
Topeka Bar Association, Member
American Bankruptcy Institute, Member
Topeka Area Bankruptcy Council, President
Sam A. Crow American Inn of Court, Program DirectorAdjunct Professor of Law, Commercial Law-Secured Transactions, University of KansasBirth Information:
Lecturer, Secured Lending and Bankruptcy, Continuing Legal Education ClassesOklahoma City, Oklahoma