Skip to main content
Elected Member

Mary
L.
Smith

Location
Lansing, IL, USA
Affiliation
VENG Group
Education
Loyola University-Chicago, B.S., Mathematics and Computer Science
University of Chicago Law School, J.D.

Mary L. Smith specializes in corporate governance, compliance, operations, regulatory matters, data privacy, cybersecurity, government and public policy, and risk management.  Smith is also a national leader on health equity. She has served on boards, as the chief executive officer of a $6 billion national health care organization, and as chief legal officer.  Her industry experience includes health care, insurance and banking.

In her private sector experience, Smith served in a senior role at Tyco International (US) Inc., a $40 billion public company, where she managed one of the most high-profile corporate governance matters in the country. At Tyco, she oversaw multi-billion litigation and governmental investigations. Smith managed an over $60 million dollar budget and regularly advised the board and senior executives on corporate governance matters and compliance. Additionally, Smith served as Special Counsel & Estate Trust Officer at the Office of Special Deputy Receiver in Chicago, Illinois where she managed over 20 insurance companies with approximately $1.5 billion in assets.

Mary Smith has served at the highest levels of government, both at the federal and state level. In a recent role, Smith was the chief executive responsible for managing a national health care system (the Indian Health Service) serving over 2.2 million persons with a budget of over $6 billion that includes 26 hospitals.  Smith has also served on the senior team of the Civil Division at the United States Department of Justice and was General Counsel at the Illinois Department of Insurance and member of senior management, overseeing legal and compliance functions. Earlier in her career, Smith served in the Clinton White House as Associate Counsel to the President and Associate Director of Policy Planning in the Domestic Policy Council.

Mary Smith was a Partner in the Chicago office of Schoeman, Updike & Kaufman, a women-owned firm, and an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Washington, D.C.  While at Skadden, Smith specialized in governmental investigations and securities class actions. 

Mary Smith is Secretary and a member of the board of directors of the American Bar Association.  She has completed the Stanford Law School’s Directors’ College as well as Women's Director Development Program at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.  

 

Member News

Traynor on Liberty, Law, and Democracy

In his essay "Liberty, Law, and Democracy: Are There Grounds for Realistic Optimism?" Michael Traynor, former President of The American Law Institute, reflects on the challenges facing American democracy amid political polarization and institutional strain. He examines threats to the balance between liberty and law, citing dysfunction across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, while drawing on historical context and recent scholarship to frame these concerns.

Despite his sober assessment, Traynor maintains a guarded optimism rooted in America’s resilience, civic traditions, and individual potential to effect change. He highlights positive actions within the legal community, nonprofit organizations, and among engaged citizens, while outlining five practical steps Americans can take to strengthen democracy: improving civic education, demanding accountability, fostering open debate, participating in elections and local governance, and resisting simplistic solutions.

Traynor concludes that democracy is “stubborn work,” incremental, imperfect, and ongoing, but expresses confidence that Americans have the resolve to preserve it.

Read the full article The New Nationalist

Michael Traynor is senior counsel at Cobalt LLP in Berkeley California. He served as ALI President from 2000 to 2008, and as Chair of the Council from 2008 to 2011. He is also a recipient of ALI's Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Traynor is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.   He received the John P. Frank Outstanding Lawyer Award from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is an honorary life trustee of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and of Earthjustice and a past President (1973) of the Bar Association of San Francisco.