JoAnna J. Smith

ASSOCIATE

Working as a doula (a birth support person) before law school, JoAnna developed a passion for
providing the information and support families needed to get through a life-changing and
challenging time. Now JoAnna applies those skills and that passion to helping Georgians
successfully navigate their family law issues from divorce, custody, and child support to
mediation, protective orders, and name changes. She particularly loves working with the
LGBTQ++ community, alternative family structures, and parents with kids with disabilities. She
is a certified domestic relations mediator and arbitrator and experienced Guardian Ad Litem.

JoAnna graduated summa cum laude from American University in Washington, D.C. with a degree
in Law & Society, and a certificate in Women, Politics & Political Leadership. She is a Truman
Scholar and a Truman-Albright Fellow.

After graduation, JoAnna worked at the U.S. Department of Transportation, as a doula in a local
birth center, and a sexual assault victim advocate. She attended Emory University Law School as
a Woodruff Fellow, where she received both a law degree and Masters of Public Health. She ran
her own family law firm for seven years before joining Portnoy, Garner & Nail, LLC in 2023.

JoAnna lives in Decatur with her wife, son, and dog.