Jane Smithson has practiced law since 1977 with an emphasis on Juvenile Dependency and Delinquency. As a member of San Mateo County’s Private Defender Program she has represented thousands of minors in 602 cases and both children and parents in Dependency matters. She was honored by Child Advocates of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties in 1999 for her work in championing the rights of children who have been neglected or abused. In 2003 she left the practice of law to become a consultant to San Mateo County’s Human Services Agency on Child Welfare Redesign.