Houma attorney to represent commercial fishing and fur industries
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting being held today in Baton Rouge will feature a brand new commissioner — Jerri G. Smitko of Houma.
Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed Smitko — an attorney and owner of Smitko Law, APLC in Houma — to serve as a representative of the commercial fishing and fur industries through January of 2022.
“As a lifelong sportswoman, a licensed commercial fisherman and an attorney with more than 30 years in practice, I understand how important the law is in protecting our natural resources,’’ Smitko said. “I also have a deep appreciation for those who rely on those resources for their livelihood, sustenance and enjoyment.
“I am eager to champion the causes of our commercial fishermen and trappers who have served as the backbone of the bayou communities for generations.’’
Among her positions held since graduating from Tulane Law School in 1996, Smitko was chair of the Louisiana Indigent Defense Assistance Board from 2006 to 2009, served on the board of directors for the Terrebonne Parish Indigent Defenders Office from 2000 to 20006 and on the board of commissioners of the Terrebonne General Hospital Service District No. 1 from 1997 to 2009.
She was also special legal counsel to Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government from 1992 to 1998, and the assistant parish attorney for the same body from 1988 to 1992.
Smitko is a member of the American Bar Association, the Louisiana and Terrebonne Parish bar associations and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. She served in the Louisiana Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve until her honorable discharge in 1985, according to a release.
