Maura Smith

Maura began her career as an associate at Steel Hector & Davis and then became a partner in the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie, where her practice was primarily focused on banking and transactional work. In 1991, she joined General Electric Company as the general counsel of GE Plastics and was later appointed a GE vice president. After GE, Maura assumed progressively increasing responsibilities as the general counsel and chief legal officer of four public companies: • Owens Corning • International Paper • PepsiCo • Delhaize Group (now Ahold Delhaize) In her general counsel roles, she gained deep knowledge of corporate law and advised CEOs and boards on: • Corporate strategy • Governance, compliance and risk management • Securities law • Employment and executive compensation matters • Transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, mergers and joint ventures In 2016, Maura Abeln Smith formed her own law firm, Maura A. Smith Law Offices LLC, and became an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. She focused on developing an alternative dispute resolution practice, representing a public company retailer as its national claims and settlement counsel and resolving business disputes. She also developed a family law practice, joining forces with Edward Nusbaum, a preeminent matrimonial lawyer in Connecticut. In 2020, due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and to be closer to her family, Maura relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee where she has continued to serve as an arbitrator and mediator, collaborated with Attorney Nusbaum on family law matters, and represented business clients in multiple jurisdictions. In 2025, Maura Abeln Smith expanded her practice to include the mediation of wrongful termination and whistleblower claims, as well as claims of discrimination, defamation, and sexual abuse, through her affiliation with the U.K. and U.S. law firm of McAllister Olivarius.