Joseph Smith was born in Long Beach, California, in 1970. He attended the University of Notre Dame, where he obtained a Bachelors of Architecture in 1993, graduating cum laude. After graduating from Notre Dame, Mr. Smith worked as an architect intern, specializing from 1994 to 1997 in custom residential design and construction at a Charlotte, North Carolina, architecture and interior design firm. Mr. Smith became a licensed architect in North Carolina in 1997.  Mr. Smith attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with honors in 1999. Mr. Smith is a licensed architect in Colorado and a member of the American Institute of Architects. Mr. Smith joined Sullan², Sandgrund, Smith & Perczak, P.C. (formerly Vanatta, Sullan, Sandgrund, Sullan & Smith, P.C.)  in September 1999, where he has applied his architectural background to the firm's construction defect litigation practice. Mr. Smith is admitted to practice before all Colorado courts.

Mr. Smith was instrumental in litigating, and then negotiating with Mr. Scott Sullan to successful conclusion, several multi-family construction defect settlements exceeding $10 million, including two cases against DR Horton that settled for $39.5 million and $25 million.

Mr. Smith has co-authored several law articles, including When the Developer Controls the Homeowner Association Board: The Benevolent Dictator? with Mr. Sandgrund. This article discusses multi-family development liability and can be found in the January, 2002, edition of The Colorado Lawyer.  In 2003, Mr. Smith argued Hoang v. Arbess in the Colorado Court of Appeals.  This case established that construction company owners and employees may be held personally liable for construction defects.

Mr. Smith resides with his wife, Lara, and sons, Ryan and Quinn, in Denver. Mr. Smith spends his free time enjoying the Colorado outdoors.