PRESIDING JUDGE F. RICHARDS SMITH III
Judge F. Richards Smith III was appointed to the Fourth District Juvenile Court in November 2012 by Governor Gary R. Herbert. He received a BA in psychology from the University of Utah, and a Juris Doctor degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. Prior to taking the bench Judge Smith worked in civil litigation at a law firm, as in-house general counsel, as a Guardian ad Litem Attorney, and as Director of the Utah Office of Guardian ad Litem and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Since taking the bench his service has included Presiding Judge; Board of Juvenile Court Judges (chair); statewide Court Improvement Program; statewide Children’s Justice Advisory Board; and other local and state committees and groups. He conducts two specialty courts in Utah County: Juvenile Recovery Court and Juvenile Behavioral Health Court. Judge Smith is board certified as a Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS) by the National Association of Counsel for Children. 1/24
