Early Life & Education
A Ninth Generation Texan, Hannah attended Lake Country Christian High School in Fort Worth, Texas, where early on she developed a passion for advocacy and human rights. There, she served on the YMCA Youth & Government state-qualifying Judiciary Team and served in missions supporting disadvantaged youth and orphans in the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic. Transferring to Boswell High School in Fort Worth, she was able to graduate early and pursue studies abroad in Cognitive Science at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
After earning her Certificate of Higher Education from the University of Edinburgh in 2016, Hannah decided to return to her Texan roots and pursue her passion for human rights. She enrolled as a Dean’s Scholar at Southern Methodist University, where she was inducted into the National Political Honor Society and earned dual degrees in Political Science and Human Rights. During her time at SMU, she enjoyed volunteering with the Vickery Meadows Youth Development Foundation mentoring youth in the Dallas immigrant community and participating in a life-changing civil rights pilgrimage across the southern United States. She was also awarded an Embry Human Rights scholarship, which enabled her to study abroad and focus on the human rights issues of stateless peoples in the Negev Desert of Israel. From these experiences, she knew she was called to advocate for people who could not advocate for themselves.
Legal Training
Upon graduating from SMU in 2019, Hannah accepted a Dean’s Scholarship at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville to pursue a law degree. At UTK, she served as a Fellow of the Tennessee Access to Justice Commission and initiated a project to automate Tennessee’s statewide Petition for Order of Protection to provide legal protection to the abused. She also served as an officer of the University of Tennessee Animal Legal Defense Fund. In her final year of law school, she participated in the Domestic Violence Clinic and was granted special dispensation from the Tennessee Bar to appear in court and represent clients seeking orders of protection from abuse. Being able to make a difference and protect the rights of the abused was an extremely rewarding experience and by far her favorite part of her law school education.
Career at the Smith Smith Clinesmith LLP
Upon receiving her Juris Doctor in 2022, Hannah again returned to Texas and pursued her dream of protecting human rights and advocating for the rights of the abused. She began working as an associate for the Smith Smith Clinesmith LLP in December 2022, contributing to the firm’s team of highly qualified professionals and dedicating herself to protecting the rights of the elderly to be free from abuse.
