Pearl Crosby Smith: A Life in Service Through Law

(c)Seton Hall University

Pearl Crosby Smith — also known as Pearl Bell — began her legal career with a simple decision: answering a newspaper advertisement for evening law classes. At the time, she was working as a teacher in Newark, New Jersey. The choice to pursue law at night while teaching during the day set her on a path that would influence communities in two states and break barriers in Florida’s legal profession.

Born in 1939, Crosby Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Howard University in 1961. She entered the classroom as an educator but soon looked to the law as a way to expand her impact. She enrolled in Seton Hall University School of Law’s evening division, maintaining a demanding schedule grounded in determination and purpose. During her third year, she stepped away briefly to marry and give birth to her daughter, returning to complete her studies and graduating in 1967. She was the first Black female student to graduate from the school.

After being sworn into the New Jersey Bar in 1968, Crosby Smith joined Union County Legal Services, where she worked directly with clients facing barriers to justice. Soon after, she moved with her family to Florida. In 1973, she opened her own law practice in Brevard County, becoming the county’s first Black lawyer and the third woman in private practice. She was admitted to the Florida Bar and to the U.S. District Courts for the Middle, Southern and Northern Districts of Florida that same year.

Her work extended far beyond her practice. Crosby Smith played an active role in efforts to prevent voter suppression and encourage voter participation. She was a vocal advocate for women’s rights, including childcare access, equal pay and equal employment opportunities. She also taught law at Brevard Community College through the Women’s Educational Network for Development and Independence (WENDI) program, helping women understand and use the law to protect their rights. As founder and president of the Brevard County Minority Business and Professional Network, she helped build professional pathways for underrepresented groups.

Her contributions have been widely recognized. She was named Woman of the Year by the Brevard County Commission on the Status of Women in 1985, received the Florida Bar’s Pro Bono Service Award in 1995, was nominated for a Florida Circuit Court judicial appointment in 1998 and received the Hosts of Brevard Pacesetter Award in 1999.

This oral history from 2020 preserves Crosby Smith’s reflections on a career shaped by service, community advocacy and groundbreaking leadership. Her story highlights how the law, in the hands of a committed practitioner, becomes a force for equity and civic empowerment.