About Us
Why Our Practice Areas Make Sense Together
At Blakely Best Practices Law, our practice areas are intentionally designed to work together. They are unified by a single philosophy: good law is preventive, structured, and forward‑looking.
Whether we are helping individuals plan for the future or advising small businesses navigating growth and compliance, our work focuses on building durable legal foundations before problems arise. Estate planning, pet trusts, digital asset planning, employment compliance, data privacy, and cannabis business contracting may appear distinct at first glance, but each addresses the same core need — thoughtful legal planning in a complex, evolving environment.
For individuals and families, this means planning not only for traditional assets, but also for modern realities: digital accounts, companion animals, fiduciary access, and long‑term stewardship. For businesses, it means aligning contracts, policies, and compliance obligations so operations can grow responsibly and sustainably.
By offering these services under one roof, we help clients avoid fragmented advice and instead receive cohesive guidance that reflects how legal risks actually intersect in real life. Our practice areas make sense together because planning makes sense — and planning is where good law begins.
Why Our Practice Areas Make Sense Together
Randal C. Smith is the founder of Blakely Best Practices Law, P.C., a firm grounded in the belief that good law is preventive, deliberate, and rooted in long-term thinking.
A Michigan native, Randal brings a Midwestern sensibility to his practice — practical, thoughtful, and relationship-driven — shaped by more than a decade of experience across federal agencies, regulatory bodies, and labor and employment law environments. His work has consistently focused on helping individuals and organizations navigate complex legal systems with clarity, structure, and foresight.
Randal earned his Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, where he concentrated in labor law and human resources. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law, graduating in the top 20% of his class. During law school, he developed a strong foundation in negotiations, arbitration, mediation, legislative review, and legal writing — skills that continue to inform his approach to planning-focused legal services.
Professionally, Randal has served as an Attorney Advisor with the Social Security Administration, working at the federal appellate level to review and draft legally sufficient decisions, advise Administrative Law Judges, and ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory frameworks. He has also advised unions and employers on labor relations, collective bargaining, grievances, and employment compliance, and has supported investigations and litigation involving discrimination, retaliation, and systemic workplace practices.
Earlier in his career, Randal worked with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the District of Columbia Public Service Commission, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, gaining broad exposure to administrative law, regulatory enforcement, and civil rights issues. He has also advised small businesses remotely for years, providing practical guidance on contracts, employment policies, and compliance strategies.
Through Blakely Best Practices Law, Randal now applies this experience to estate planning, modern asset planning, small business contracts, employment compliance, data privacy, cannabis business consulting, and notary services — all unified by a single philosophy: legal planning works best when it anticipates change rather than reacts to crisis.
Randal is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Illinois. He lives in Illinois with his two dogs, Korbyn and Pearl, who serve as daily reminders of the importance of stewardship, care, and planning for all members of the family — including the four-legged ones.
OUR MISSION
To provide clear, thoughtful legal guidance that helps clients protect what matters most. The mission is simple. Reduce uncertainty. Support responsible decision-making. Build legal structures that serve people, not paperwork.
OUR VISION
A legal practice where preparation replaces reaction. Where families and businesses feel confident in the decisions they make because the structure behind them is sound.
OUR MISSION
To provide clear, thoughtful legal guidance that helps clients protect what matters most. The mission is simple. Reduce uncertainty. Support responsible decision-making. Build legal structures that serve people, not paperwork.
Legal decisions deserve more than templates and transactions.
When legal direction is unclear, control shifts away from you. Blakely Best Practices, P.C. exists to keep decisions where they belong, documented, deliberate, and legally sound.
Blakely Best Practices Law, P.C. was founded on a simple but hard-earned belief: good law is not reactive, rushed, or disconnected from real life. Good law is deliberate. It is preventive. And it is deeply human.
This firm exists to create structure, clarity, and peace of mind for individuals and small business owners whose lives, livelihoods, and legacies are shaped by legal decisions long before a dispute ever arises. Law should not only resolve problems after they occur — it should help prevent unnecessary harm, confusion, and loss in the first place.
The philosophy behind Blakely is rooted in generational wisdom. My grandfather, Ira Blakely, often reminded me: “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” That lesson has stayed with me. Effective lawyering is not about aggression for its own sake. It is about strategic thought, principled action, and understanding that how we practice law matters just as much as the outcomes we achieve.
That belief aligns with the deepest ideals of justice. Thurgood Marshall once said, “The measure of a country’s greatness is its ability to retain compassion in time of crisis.” At Blakely, compassion is not an afterthought — it is a touchstone.
My understanding of work, structure, and responsibility was shaped long before law school, growing up connected to Detroit, Michigan — a city defined by industry, ingenuity, and resilience. Detroit taught me that work is never just work. It is livelihood. It is dignity. It is legacy.
That human-centered lens was sharpened at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and Howard University School of Law, where I embraced law as a tool for thoughtful social engineering and durable planning.
These values also shape my approach to estate planning. Legacy is not theoretical — it is deeply personal. The experience of witnessing the legal aftermath of Prince’s passing without a will reinforced a truth I carry into my practice: estate planning is an act of care.
This philosophy explains why our practice areas make sense together. Estate planning, pet trusts, digital asset planning, small business contracts, employment compliance, data privacy, and cannabis business consulting are unified by proactive, structured legal planning.
Blakely Best Practices Law is not volume-driven or transactional. It is careful, disciplined lawyering that respects lived realities and protects what matters most.
This is how good law is done.
What clients notice first is how the work feels.
Clients often speak about clarity, responsiveness, and control. The feedback below reflects how matters are handled from first contact through completion.