Taylor J. Smith

In his time studying the law, Taylor has been exposed to a variety of legal landscapes including private practice, criminal prosecution focused on insurance fraud, federal government work with the United States Department of the Interior, and judicial work both on the state’s supreme and appellate courts. Before coming to Strong and Hanni, Taylor worked with complex matters related to, among other things, transaction, regulation, litigation, statutory interpretation, and civil procedure. Later, as one of four corporate-team attorneys, he aided the simultaneous representation of hundreds of clients in groundbreaking litigation in 12 different federal districts. And, immediately before starting with Strong and Hanni, Taylor served as a judicial clerk for Judge David N. Mortensen at the Utah Court of Appeals where he obtained experience with the complexities of appellate practice and procedure that would have taken years to acquire in private practice.

Taylor studied linguistic analysis during his undergraduate, with a primary focus on how the English language functions and is structured in conversation and in writing (based on what is actually said and on what is meant by what is said). This experience primed him for his time in law school when, as an editor for the BYU Law Review, he proofread others’ articles, and as a Managing Editor of Administration, helped oversee that process. He ultimately earned one of his most satisfying law school achievements when his student note—describing the language-based struggles custodial interrogation suspects face when attempting to invoke their Miranda rights—was published in the BYU Law Review.

All this experience has primed Taylor to focus on small but important details in the cases he takes under his wing. The work ethic, attention to detail, problem-solving ability, unique analysis perspectives, and written and oral communication skills his background provides have aided his desire to help others prevent and solve legal problems and reach their legal goals effectively and efficiently.

And, when away from all the legal stuff, as passionate life-chasers, Taylor and his energetic wife and kids spend their time exploring our National Parks and other pristine wildlands throughout the United States, telling and experiencing storytelling in all its forms (from theatre to audiobooks), cheering their guts out for their favorite sports teams, and tasting their way toward perfect food in their home kitchen.

Judicial Clerkships & Externships

• Law Clerk, Judge David N. Mortensen, Utah Court of Appeals.
• Judicial extern, Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant, Utah Supreme Court.

Publication & Research

• Note, Linguistic Estoppel: A Custodial Interrogation Subject’s Reliance on Traditional Language Customs in the Face of Unknown Expectations for Legally Felicitous Speech, 46 BYU L. REV. 6, 1675 (2021).
• Research Assistant: Corpus Linguistics, Justice Richard Bevan, Idaho Supreme Court.