Amy Smith is emerging as one of Southern New Jersey's leading young divorce lawyers. At just 40 years old, she is already a partner and key litigator at Weinberg, Kaplan & Smith in Haddonfield. In many respects Smith - energetic and positive, already with broad courtroom experience - represents a new generation of divorce lawyers, many of them dynamic woman who are redefining the profession. Her background as a county prosecutor and her involvement in domestic-abuse cases give her a more substantive and valuable background than many of her peers. She and partner Dawn Kaplan joined the renowned matrimonial lawyer Joseph Weinberg in early 2012; already their practice has evolved to include a wider range of cases, not simply traditional litigation. "I think we are a good fit with Joe," says Smith. "He is of course a legend in our profession, and our practice is still defined by his leadership. But Dawn and I bring an energy and skill that builds on Joe's reputation as well." Says Weinberg: "Amy and Dawn are very talented, and what we've done in a year together confirms we have a great future as a firm."

Smith grew up in nearby Doylestown, PA; her father was a banking executive and her mother worked in Welcome House, the famed adoption agency founded by the activist writer Pearl Buck. Smith was a standout student early on, graduating near the top of her class (of 500 students) at Central Bucks High School West. At Gettysburg College she served as president of the school's Honor Commission; she and her peers had the power to expel students when the infraction warranted it. Such early jurisprudence had a deep impact; "That's when I knew I wanted to be a lawyer." She majored in political science and history, then spent a year working as a paralegal. After that experience, she attended her first year of Widener Law School, first taking classes at night, and then transferring to a full-time curriculum.

She clerked for one year with Hunterdon County Judge Marilyn Rhyne Herr (now retired) before joining Burlington County Prosecutors office. On a team of nearly 30 lawyers, Smith stood out for her work on domestic violence actions and prosecutions. And she got plenty of early courtroom experience, even sitting second chair on a high-profile homicide case. By all accounts few young divorce lawyers have entered the specialty with the level of courtroom experience that Smith has. After nearly five years, she joined a women-owned firm based in Burlington County, where she began focusing on family-law cases full time. Going from prosecutor to divorce advocate "was not a super-hard transition. What I often found was that the people making (divorce) cases the most difficult were the lawyers themselves." Somewhat naturally, she met South Jersey's divorce law community across the table on cases; that of course included Weinberg, who was "a little intimidating. His reputation preceded him." Before long Weinberg, looking to expand and re-make his team, began talking to Smith about coming on board. A year later she and Kaplan were name partners, a reflection of Weinberg's respect for their skills - and of their importance in the future of the practice.

Still relatively early in her career, Smith's practice spans surprisingly far, from Cape May and Atlantic counties to Ocean County, as well as of course Burlington and Camden counties. "Most people know me at this point" in county courtrooms through almost all of Southern New Jersey. She still handles some criminal matters as well. Away from the office she enjoys coaching her daughter's soccer team, and being with her family. She and her husband John Pinto, an investment professional, live in Burlington County, New Jersey.