Jennifer Smith was admitted to practice in 1987 after completing articles of clerkship at the Crown Solicitor's Office. Between 1988 and 2000, Ms Smith was a legal practitioner at the Crown Solicitor's Office. She was appointed Senior Assistant Crown Counsel in 1997.
Ms Smith has practised in the District and Supreme Court as a Crown Prosecutor in indictable criminal trials, and provided advice and was briefed as counsel in industrial matters, administrative law, criminal law and personal injury matters. She represented the State of Western Australia and government agencies in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (now the Fair Work Commission), the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission, and the Industrial Appeal Court (a division of the Supreme Court).
Ms Smith held three senior positions at the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission including commissioner, senior commissioner and acting president. She has been an acting judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia since August 2017.
Ms Smith has convened courses and lectured in constitutional law for the Legal Practice Board, and given papers on various aspects of employment and industrial law to professional bodies including the Law Society of Western Australia.
She is a member of the Australian Association of Women Judges, the International Association of Women Judges, the Council of Australasian Tribunals, the Australian Institute of Administrative Law, and the Law Society of Western Australia.
