With a passion for intellectual property and all things creative, Tyra Hughley Smith is the experienced legal expert for small business owners and creatives. Her focus on business strategy and protection, along with intellectual property (copyrights and trademarks), and contracts makes her the trusted guide for photographers, bloggers/writers, entertainers, and e-entrepreneurs. Having practiced for approximately 14 years, and having been a previous partner at the Photo Attorney law firm, Tyra Hughley Smith has earned the reputation for professional excellence in the area of intellectual property and business law. And she is hated by those who seek to infringe upon the rights of creatives and small business owners.
Tyra Hughley Smith is the author of Insights from the Inside: A Legal Guide for Small Businesses and Content Creators. She also conducts conferences, workshops, and trainings which focus on business formations, copyright, trademark law, and contract development for small businesses and organizations.
Tyra is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she earned a dual degree in Law (Juris Doctor) and a Master’s in Communication Management (M.C.M) through the renowned USC Gould School of Law and Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism. As a former member of the Interdisciplinary Law Journal and an adjunct professor of First Amendment & Communications Law at her alma mater, Tyra Hughley Smith is proud to have been an intricate part of her prestigious university.
Prior to her time at USC, Tyra matriculated at the University of Missouri-Columbia and was a member of the nation’s most widely regarded top journalism program, the Missouri School of Journalism. She double majored in Magazine Journalism and Black Studies and graduated from the Honors College, along with a minor in Business. As a journalist, Attorney Hughley Smith worked for numerous newspapers and magazines across the country; she also served as the President of Mizzou’s student chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
Currently based in Los Angeles, Tyra serves clients both nationwide and worldwide with thoughtful strategy and protection measures, acting as outside general counsel, while offering insight on intellectual property matters and being widely regarded in the trademark and copyright attorney realm.
Education
Graduate Level
Juris Doctor (J.D.), University of Southern California Gould School of Law (member of the Interdisciplinary Law Journal)
Masters in Communications Management (M.C.M.), University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism (and subsequently taught as an Adjunct Professor in Annenberg)
Undergraduate Level
Bachelor of Journalism (B.J.), University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri School of Journalism
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), University of Missouri-Columbia (with a Minor in Business)
Honors Certificate, University of Missouri-Columbia Honors College
Admissions
California
Illinois
United States District Court for the Central District of California
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
