Alan D. Smith

Should you decide to tie the knot at V.I. Superior Court on St. Thomas, Magistrate Alan D. Smith might officiate. A St. John resident who commutes daily to St. Thomas, Smith and three other attorneys were sworn in as the first-ever Superior Court magistrates in 2009. The division was created by an act of the V.I. Legislature in 2007. “I’m looking forward to doing it,” he said of the nuptial side of his job.

Of course, if you’re involved in some traffic incident, or worse yet, committed a felony, you’ll come before Smith or one of his colleagues for arraignment and advice-of-rights hearing. And if you’re really in trouble, he might be the one issuing search and arrest warrants.

He hopes to help those who wind up in his courtroom to understand the judicial system.

“People tend to think of the law as a constraint on their behavior, but I prefer to think of it as a safety net that protects us from the evil behavior of others,” he said.

Smith, 62, sees his appointment as coming full circle. His first job in the Virgin Islands was as a public defender in the same building at Barbel Plaza where the Magistrate’s Court is located. He brings 33 years of legal and government experience to the post. “And I have a fairly decent knowledge of the Virgin Islands community,” he said.

A graduate of the University of Michigan law school, Smith went on to work in the territory’s Justice Department until he was tapped to serve as Planning Commissioner in 1987. After four years on the job, he entered private practice with the St. Thomas law firm of Hodge & Francois.

Smith, his wife Magda and son Derik moved to St. John in 1976 as pioneers of the Baha’i faith to develop a community of Baha’is. His son now lives is Muscat, Oman with his wife and three children.

Smith continues to be a guiding force in the Baha’i community, an aspect of his life that, coupled with his commute to St. Thomas, keeps him busy.