Fall/Winter 2003-04
A sharp mind and mighty pen
Photo by Terry Faust
When it comes to voicing his political opinions, lawyer Jonathan Smaby '85 turns the nation's newspapers.
This fall, Jonathan Smaby '85 decided to tangle with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Wielding his mightier-than-a-sword pen, the Minnesota native turned Texas resident wrote a piece for the Dallas Morning News on California's then-pending recall election. Smaby didn't limit his critique to the muscled movie star, however: His opinion piece noted that the increasing popularity of celebrity candidates is yet another sign of money's influence on politics.
"Political parties like candidates who are rich and famous because they don't need as much money and because they tend to scare away primary contenders," Smaby wrote. "But what is good for the party isn't always good for the electorate."
Sounding off
The "Terminator" (California's governor-elect) has yet to respond, but Smaby isn't worried about retribution. He regularly sounds off on issues ranging from religion in politics to affirmative action to media bias. A year ago, he wrote about meeting Paul Wellstone while a student at the U of M. His writings have appeared in the pages of the New York Times, and he has made a few TV appearances as a political commentator.
Smaby owes his political passions and gift for argument to his U of M education, at least in part. Born and raised in Austin, Minn., he honed his intellect and values while working on political science degree at Minnesota. He bolstered his knowledge of government and public affairs with courses in economics, Shakespeare, and German history.
"I really took advantage of the opportunities offered by CLA to delve into a lot of different areas," he says. As a senior, he was recognized for his academic achievement with the Selmer Birkelo Scholarship, one of CLA's most prestigious awards.
Now married with two children and working as a lawyer in Dallas, Smaby hasn't forgotten his Minnesota education. Four years ago, he and his wife and colleague, Michelle Roberts, pledged $25,000 toward an undergraduate scholarship in political science. The gift is, in some ways, the fulfillment of a promise Smaby made upon graduation, when he wrote, in a letter to the chair of the political science department: "What I have learned from you and your colleagues is something that I can take with me into whatever I choose to do in life. In fact, if I can ever be of assistance in some way I would be happy to."
Taking on challenges
Newspaper editorials keep Smaby's name in the public eye in Texas, but his professional success is built on a legal career. After working for several large law firms, Smaby and his wife established their own firm, Roberts & Smaby, in 1988. Centered on commercial litigation, bankruptcy, and transactional work, the practice has grown to include 12 attorneys.
Smaby recently embarked on a new venture. Although he remains a shareholder in Roberts & Smaby, he spends his days working with two partners on Leganomics, a consultancy that assists lawyers and others in managing their businesses.
"Lawyers are not trained in business as a regular part of law school education," Smaby notes. "So even though we're trained in business, we're not necessarily experts in day-to-day management. Some attorneys know that. Others don't."
The idea for the startup came from Smaby's own experience. "When I started running the firm, I knew how to deal with legal issues, but I wasn't really aware of how the matters that a manager deals with are always connected," he says. "You start a law firm and you need office space, telephones, fax, a server, and furniture. What I learned after running a firm is that all those issues are related to the overall strategy and direction of the firm."
His new business is still getting off the ground, but the challenge has been invigorating. Leganomics has tapped his entrepreneurial energies. "I'm the type of person who likes to move on to other things," he says.
The international front
Smaby hasn't used his op-ed bully pulpit to write much about international affairs. But he's increasingly concerned about the direction of American foreign policy. "I think what we've witnessed is that it's very difficult for the United States to go it alone," he says.
"We like to think of ourselves as a stand-alone country, powerful enough to defend itself. But you can see by recent events that we really need other countries to work with us in all sorts of ways. For our own prosperity we need mutual understanding between countries and cultures."
Jonathan Smaby stopped by campus for a photo shoot before the Minnesota homecoming game at the Metrodome.