Connor Smith

Connor Smith is a partner in Stoel Rives’ Anchorage office whose practice focuses on commercial litigation. He represents clients in general business disputes, tax and fiduciary litigation, and other complex matters in state and federal courts and administrative forums. His client work includes companies and organizations connected to commercial fishing, energy, mining, oil and gas, and Alaska Native corporations and their subsidiaries, giving him experience with disputes tied closely to Alaska industries.

Smith earned a J.D. summa cum laude from Seattle University School of Law in 2018, graduating first in his class, and a B.A. in Political Science from California Polytechnic State University in 2013. After law school, he clerked for Alaska Supreme Court Justice Craig Stowers and completed a judicial externship with Judge Morgan Christen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. His education and judicial experience strengthened his research, writing, and appellate analysis for complex litigation.

Smith handles commercial cases through trial and other dispute-resolution processes, including arbitration and mediation. His work can involve contract and business disputes, tax questions, fiduciary claims, and industry-specific issues affecting natural-resource and commercial clients. He draws on his Alaska Supreme Court clerkship and federal appellate externship when addressing complicated legal arguments, procedural questions, and records that may continue through appellate review after trial or administrative proceedings.

Connor Smith became a partner at Stoel Rives in 2026 and is admitted to practice in Alaska. His background as a trial lawyer and former judicial clerk supports a disciplined approach to business disputes with significant operational or financial consequences. He helps clients assess claims, develop litigation strategy, prepare matters for trial or negotiated resolution, and address legal issues affecting Alaska businesses across fisheries, energy, mining, oil and gas, and other commercial sectors.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Stoel Rives LLP
• Member, Alaska Bar Association
• Member (former Co-Secretary & current Co-Chair), Board of Directors, Anchorage Youth Court (2021-2024)
• Pro Bono Attorney, Alaska Legal Services Corporation
• Pro Bono Attorney, Alaska Immigration Justice Project
• Volunteer Attorney, Alaska Small Business Legal Clinic
• Volunteer Coach, Highschool Mock Trial
• Member, Supreme Court LIVE Education program
• Pro Bono Attorney, Alaska Network on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (ANDVSA)
• Pro Bono Attorney, Federal Pro Bono Project
• Volunteer Attorney, ALSC Landlord Tenant Hotline

Licensed State

• Alaska

Education

• Seattle University School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD) Summa Cum Laude
• California Polytechnic State University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science

Awards & Badges