A Baltimore, Maryland native, Tenae L. Smith’s legal career began at Stevenson University, where she received her Bachelor’s of Science, magna cum laude in Paralegal Studies, in 2010. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree, Ms. Smith went on to obtain her Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2015.  From 2008 to 2016, Ms. Smith worked at a law firm in Towson, Maryland, where she was promoted from proofreader, to paralegal, to law clerk. As a law clerk, Ms. Smith drafted estate planning documents including but not limited to, Wills, Powers of Attorney, Advance Health Care Directives, and various types of trusts. Ms. Smith worked closely with attorneys and clients to develop estate and Medicaid plans.

Ms. Smith became a Maryland licensed attorney in December 2016. Immediately thereafter, she began practicing Estate Planning and other legal assistance at Senior Legal Services (SLS), a non-profit organization of the Bar Association of Baltimore City and the Baltimore Bar Foundation, Inc. For over a year and half, Ms. Smith prepared estate planning documents for clients with various levels of income and assets. During her time at SLS, Ms. Smith informed her colleagues and clients of the importance of Medicaid planning in conjunction with estate planning.

Today, Ms. Smith works as Regulatory Counsel for the FDA, in addition to running her practice, The TLS Law Firm, which she established in 2023.