Attorney Mickey Smith Enjoys Helping People And Serving The Community

Growing up in Williamson, W.Va., there were two things that Michael “Mickey” Smith knew from an early age: he would grow up to be an attorney, and he would always be called Mickey.

From the first grade, his mother insisted that he remember to request to be called Mickey, since he was named after his uncle. Smith’s parents also were insistent concerning a college education. Neither of them attended college, but their children would.

While studying engineering at Virginia Tech, Smith met his wife-to-be, Lizz; she was an education major. After earning his engineering degree, graduating with honors, Smith received a merit scholarship and continued his education at the Duke University School of Law, where he graduated in the top six percent of his class.

In law school, Smith was elected to the Order of the Coif, an honor society for law school graduates. Smith is also a member of Mensa International, the International High IQ Society. Though Smith has received accolades for being incredibly intelligent, he is also humble.

“I don’t consider myself to be especially smart, but I do think I am hardworking. I have always been hardworking, and I like school. If I won the lottery, I think that I would go back and be a professional student. I like to learn,” Smith said.

Education is important to the Smith family. Lizz, a recently retired school teacher, discovered that retirement wasn’t for her. She missed teaching and eventually returned to the classroom as a substitute teacher.

Learning from her experience, Smith doesn’t ever plan to retire. “I think if you like what you do, I wouldn’t be in a rush to find some other thing that you might not like,” Smith said.

It may seem as though Smith can do anything he puts his mind to, but, he is a self-proclaimed terrible golfer. In fact, he said there are many things he isn’t great at. However, his job is one thing he does well.

“I like helping people. I like talking to people and working with people,” he said. “I don’t view it as drudgery. It’s a joy most of the time, not all of the time, but most.”

Smith is driven by his passion for his work, which has fueled his success. “I think you have to have a passion for what you do,” he said. “Law is a job that requires a lot of hours, and usually young lawyers who aren’t passionate about it don’t last very long in the profession.”

In the early years of his career, Smith represented large insurance corporations. That ended in 2002, when he changed his focus.

“It just wasn’t rewarding any more. Contrary to the media, not all cases are fake and phony, so if you’re an insurance defense attorney, your job is to minimize what they pay out, sometimes to the detriment of people who are deserving,” he said.

Now he works on the other side of the same type of issues as a partner at the law firm Lesser, Lesser, Landy & Smith, which recently opened a Wellington office. “We’re on the offense; trying to get money for deserving people,” he said.

In addition to the office in the Lake Wellington Professional Centre, the 90-year-old firm also has offices in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Stuart. “My wife and I have lived in Wellington for 26 years,” Smith said. “I have connections and clients in the community, so, as a convenience to people, we opened an office here.”

What people see on television dramas versus real life courtroom drama, he said, is actually the opposite. It’s far more preparation and less performance. “It’s kind of totally flipped from TV, meaning on TV, they’ll prepare for 10 minutes and the flashy stuff is 50 minutes,” Smith explained.

Smith is happy to see that Florida may be toughening up laws regarding texting while driving, making it a primary offense, one for which law enforcement can pull you over, rather than a secondary offense.

“Everyone who drives knows that texting is extremely dangerous and leads to a lot of accidents,” Smith said. “We’re advocating for it to be passed because we see the effects of it. There are always going to be accidents, but we’re safety advocates. We want to lessen accidents — our families are out on the road, too.”

From e-mail and phone calls to texting and GPS, there are so many distractions for today’s drivers. “I just started a new case where somebody was texting while driving a truck. They blew through a stop sign and hit a motorcycle, and that happens a lot,” Smith said.

He also advises everyone to have uninsured motorist insurance and make sure they always have an attorney when heading into court.

In his personal life, Smith is a doting husband. For their 30th wedding anniversary, he surprised Lizz with a visit to his alma mater, which included renewing their vows in Duke University’s chapel, where they were married.

The Smiths are avid travelers, having just visited their seventh continent — Antarctica. Together, they marveled at the pristine beauty of the place, possibly preserved because so few people visit.

Smith’s adolescent dream drove him from small-town America, but his heart has kept him in Wellington, where he uses his passion and drive to help the community.

Two of the many organizations that receive his attention are the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington and the Wellington Community Foundation. He serves on both of their boards and enjoys serving the community he loves.

Smith was smitten with the Boys & Girls Club as soon as he toured its facility.

“I knew about it. I knew that it existed, but I didn’t really know,” he said. “I guess like a lot of people, I didn’t realize the extent of the need. I really think that the organization is wonderful.”

There is a sign in the club noting that it is easier to build strong young people rather than fix broken adults. “That’s what appeals to me. It’s a great mission,” Smith said.

Community service is important to Smith, who tends to focus on the elderly, as well as the youth of the community. Both are the goals of the Wellington Community Foundation, where he is a founding board member. He is also a member of the Wellington Rotary Club. “It’s a passion of mine to be involved in my community,” Smith said.

It all fits into his life’s goal to help others better their lives. “I would like for folks to be able to say that I was someone who gave back to the community,” he said. “I am a huge fan of Wellington and have been for 25 years. I want to devote my time trying to help.”

For more information about attorney Mickey Smith, call (561) 655-2028 or visit www.lesserlawfirm.com.

Volunteer Work Helps Keep Katarina Evangelista Young at Heart

Decades upon decades ago, her parents immigrated to this country from Italy. For this reason, she prefers to be called by her given name — at least, what it was meant to be… “Katarina.”

The now Wellington resident’s name was misconstrued in translation when she was born 86 years ago, and the name “Catherine” was printed on Katarina Evangelista’s birth certificate.

“No one calls me Catherine; always Katarina,” said Evangelista, who is originally from New Rochelle, N.Y.

It is with great respect that Evangelista speaks of her parents. She credits her mother and father for raising her to respect others and is convinced that children today aren’t afforded the same parental attention she was as a child.

“Parents today are busy,” she said. “I would encourage them to spend more time with their children. We always ate together.”

Of all the advice passed on to her from her parents, she considers the best to be from her father. She has never forgotten that one day, without provocation, her father sternly told her, “You are to never smoke.”

Evangelista laughed recalling her father’s statement. “To this day, I’ve never smoked,” she said.

When Evangelista was 18 years of age, she met her future husband, Aldo. Little did she know, her new boyfriend had a significant connection to her parents. It was an uncanny link they discovered on their first meeting. Speaking excitedly in Italian, the older couple learned that the boyfriend of their Katarina had come to the United States on the exact same ship that ferried Evangelista’s parents to Ellis Island. Her boyfriend was only 2 years old at the time.

Aldo and Katarina were married for 54 years before his passing.

It has been 30 years since Evangelista moved to South Florida, and as for most people of retirement age, it was the warm sun that beckoned her and her husband south. However, neither Evangelista nor her husband had yet retired, as they were both living and working in Connecticut at the time.

“Aldo came home one day after work and said, ‘It’s time.’ That was in November of 1987. I said, ‘Let’s go,’ and we were here by Jan. 5, 1988,” Evangelista said. “It was an awful winter.”

Evangelista breaks the “forgetful senior” stereotype. She is very good with dates, recalling and associating events in the same manner as she remembers her own name.

“I don’t know how,” Evangelista said. “It’s a gift — that’s how I look at it. I remember birthdays, anniversaries. All I can say is that it’s a gift.”

That’s not the only old-age stereotype that is foreign to Evangelista, who might best be described as “young at heart.” The 86-year-old breaks them all.  She doesn’t mind telling people exactly how old she is, but before revealing her age, she engages the inquisitor in a quick guessing game. The test-takers are most often stumped, rarely guessing or believing that she is as old as she is.

“Sometimes, they’re afraid to guess, but I tell them, ‘It’s OK,’” Evangelista said. “‘Even if you guess 100, I’ll tell you.’”

No one ever guesses 100, and seldom guesses that Evangelista is in her mid-80s. This is especially true of the students in the New Horizons Elementary School afterschool program. Evangelista worked there with the kids and teachers for 15 years, only just recently retiring. The students there, however, showed very little interest in her age.

“The only thing they ask is why my hair’s that color, which is completely white,” Evangelista said. “I tell them that when someone has all gray hair, that it means it is a blessing, and to give them respect. That’s how I handle it.”

At the end of January, Evangelista will begin volunteering at the school where she once taught children in the afterschool program to knit. As a volunteer, she is looking forward to tutoring kids in reading, especially those who require special attention.

Volunteerism is a way of life for Evangelista, who volunteers in her own local community, including her church, the Wellington Seniors Club and the Kids Cancer Foundation, aside from her time at New Horizons.

“Volunteering isn’t for everyone. It really depends on the person. I know many seniors who volunteer, but others who feel they’ve already done their part, and if they’re going to work, they’d work to get paid,” Evangelista said. “But if they only knew the good feeling that comes with volunteer work.”

Growing older isn’t a challenge for Evangelista. “Anyone can have a senior moment,” she said. “You don’t have to be a senior to sometimes forget.”

Even though she remains vibrant and independent, she notices that as she ages, her two children take on a different role in their relationship with her.

“They’ve become the parent,” she said.

This doesn’t bother Evangelista one bit. She is happy that they care and is certain that when the day comes, she will take their advice on important issues — such as when to stop driving. That day seems far away for now.

Evangelista, who loves to be out and about meeting people, doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon, living out her favorite quote before the people she meets every day: “Nice people do things for nicer people.”

“That’s my special saying,” Evangelista explained. “As nice as you are, you do nice things for people who are nicer than you.”