Drahcir Marie Smith

Employment Counsel ( Chicago )

Direct 312.471.8645 LinkedIn

Bio

Drahcir Smith is a seasoned Labor and Employment attorney who has successfully represented both employers and employees in employment litigation matters. Drahcir is known for her innovative legal writing, her 360° style of thinking, and her easy smile, which she manages to deploy even in the most difficult situations. She has advised numerous Fortune 100 and 500 companies on compliance with employment law, prevention of workplace discrimination, and the development of effective personnel practices. She has considerable experience representing employers in wage and hour actions, discrimination charges and lawsuits, and in litigation involving post-employment restrictive covenants. Drahcir also provides counsel to clients regarding the many employment-related issues that can arise in the context of bankruptcy, reductions-in-force (RIFs), and company wind downs.

Both inside and outside of her professional life, Drahcir believes in the importance of relationships. Her commitment to promoting the rights of individuals at all levels of society has motivated her to spend nearly two decades tirelessly working on and dedicated to diversity-related causes and initiatives. Drahcir serves on the board for Chicago-based organization Camp of Dreams; is a Board Member at Large for the Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, Inc.; and is a fellow with the Chicago Urban League’s IMPACT Leadership Development Program.

Credentials

Education

Howard University School of Law, J.D., 2005
Colgate University, B.A., Political Science and African-American Studies, 2002, cum laude

Bar Admissions

Illinois
Georgia
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association
Labor & Employment Section

State Bar of Georgia
Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys
Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc.
Scholarship Fund Board Member (2020-2021)
Corresponding Secretary (2019-2020)
Board Member at Large (2018‐2019)
Judicial Reception Committee, Chair (2018‐2019) 

Honors & Awards

Illinois Emerging Lawyer in Employment: Management
Law Bulletin Media Leading Lawyers (2019-2021)

Top 100 Emerging Lawyers
Law Bulletin Media Leading Lawyers (2020)

Top 100 Women Emerging Lawyers
Law Bulletin Media Leading Lawyers (2020)

The National Black Lawyers Top 100 (2019)

40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty
Law Bulletin Media (2018)

Publications & Presentations

“From Home to High-Rise: A Discussion on Returning to Office,” (panelist) IFG Advisory Group (November 17, 2021)
“Navigating the Gray Area in the World of #MeToo,” (panelist) Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law, Chicago, IL (April 17, 2018)
“The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Rules that Title VII Protects Employees from Sexual Orientation Discrimination,” (author) RSHC Client Alert (April 6, 2017)
“Gender Identity and the Workplace—Why Employers Should Be Proactively Implementing and Updating Policies Relating to Gender Identity and Transgendered Individuals,” Client Alert (March 2016)
“Coping with Internal and Government Investigations,” Contributor, American Bar Association’s 30th Annual Forum on Franchising (October 2007)
“When It Gets Personal: Advice to In-House Counsel on Avoiding Criminal and Civil Liability,” Primary Contributor, ECOA’s 19th Annual Ethics and Compliance Conference (2006)
The Developing Labor Law, BNA Books; 5th edition, Contributor (November 21, 2006)

Community Service

Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, Inc., Board Member at Large
Camp of Dreams, Board Member
Chicago Urban League, IMPACT Leadership Development Program, Fellow