Smith enjoys the work-life balance as assistant county attorney

     It’s been three months since Sara Smith started her new job as the Jones County Assistant Attorney.

   “I enjoy the people,” she said of working alongside County Attorney Kristofer Lyons and Administrative Assistant Kelly Dodge. “This is a fun atmosphere here. Everyone is very supportive.”

   Smith earned her law degree from the University of Iowa.

   Prior to coming to Jones County, she worked in the public defender’s office in Cedar Rapids, a job she’s held since April 2011. For the nine months prior to that, Smith worked in the public defender’s office in Black Hawk County.

    She also has seven years of experience working in private practice, also in Cedar Rapids.

   “I’ve always been interested in criminal law,” she shared. “As a defense attorney, I saw my role as making sure everybody follows the rules, that due process is followed, and that the right outcome comes about.”

   Smith said with her background, she’s worked with law enforcement in various cases, something she continues to do in her role in Jones County.

   “In collaborating with law enforcement, we ultimately hope to seek justice,” she said.

   Smith has known Lyons for a few years through her work in Cedar Rapids, covering both Jones and Benton counties.

   “I got to know Kris and we became friends.”

   When the prior assistant county attorney left, Lyons approached Smith about the opportunity.

   “It was the perfect storm of circumstances,” Smith said.

   Her case load in Cedar Rapids was growing, and the public defender’s office was short-staffed.

   In her role now, Smith handles all of the criminal matters that do not involve defendants she’s already represented at her previous job.

   “Those cases go to Kris,” she said.

   Lyons works with civil and juvenile cases, as well as handles the business of the county.

   Smith admitted it’s been a learning curve going from a public defender to “adjusting to a different perspective” and in the ways someone in her role communicates with a victim versus the accused.

   “It’s a shift in approach and perspective.”

   Speaking of perspective, having worked in a more urban county, Smith said she’s appreciated the decrease in the severity of cases in Jones County.

   “There’s a significant decrease in case load and the types of crimes,” she said of the higher-level offenses she’s witnessed in Linn County.

   However, Jones County is not alone when it comes to issues involving methamphetamine, for instance.

   “It’s been nice figuring out the slower pace lifestyle,” commented Smith of her workload. “At the public defender, I’d have 200 cases at any given time. Now I can spend more time with each case.”

   Growing up in Floyd County in northern Iowa, Smith is no stranger to life in rural Iowa. She now resides in Linn County with her husband and three children. Her oldest just graduated from high school; and the couple has a 10- and 7-year-old. The family stays busy with the many activities their kids are involved in.

   Smith said working for Jones County, she enjoys having more time to spend with her family.

   “It’s a better work-life,” she said. “That played into my choice to change jobs.”

   In her free time, Smith enjoys reading.