Georgia Attorney Appointed Danish Consul

By Mark Hoerrner

It’s not every day that a Georgia local ascends to the rank of international diplomat, but that’s just what attorney Christopher N. Smith did.

"I tell people that being an honorary consul is like being a director on the board of a non-profit," he says, not wanting people to assume that he’s foregone his active business and personal injury practice in Macon, Ga.

"First and foremost, I am a local attorney," he says. "I maintain my practice. The international work is only about 15 percent of what I do."

Being appointed the honorary consul to Denmark is a great opportunity, he says, not only for Denmark, but also for business relations between the two countries. Smith will retain the post until age 70.

The role of an honorary consul is much like that of a personal agent in the U.S. The primary goal of a consul is to assist the appointing country’s citizens within the borders of the U.S., ensuring that they have someone that can be called on to answer questions of culture, business, law or just to assist in procuring travel documentation such as visas or passports.

"I do have some additional responsibilities," Smith says. "We’re here in case there is a Danish individual or company that needs assistance here in the U.S. Having a consulate in Macon is really something special because on the diplomatic list, Macon is listed between Los Angeles and Miami. This is the first country to do this."

Smith took over a post vacated by a consulate originally housed in Savannah. He will be responsible for all of central and southern Georgia. He’s outfitted his law offices with an office to officially house the consulate and has a framed proclamation from Queen Margrethe of Denmark appointing him consul adorning the walls.

His odyssey with the Danish government began with a single Danish client. True to form for most law practices, word of mouth brought more Danish business to his door. Today, Smith has served businesses in South Africa, Finland, the United Kingdom, Demark and other locations around the world.

He’s also lectured to companies abroad on personal injury, insurance, corporate law and product liability concerns.

"Advise them defensively on the pitfalls to make sure that they have ample legal and insurance protection to cover them," he says. "I want to give them a comfort level that comes from having all the information and resources to properly conduct business. Ninety percent of what we advise them is the same advice we would give to Macon businesses. There’s only a couple of areas where advice would differ slightly."

For the past five years, Smith has also hosed a Georgia-European Union Summit in Macon that has brought representatives from nations such as Germany, France, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland to Macon to learn about doing business in Georgia. International companies now account for $20 billion of Georgia’s business investment, Smith says.

Despite the cosmopolitan side of his business, Smith remains focused locally.

"I enjoy my international work," Smith says, "but I really like educating international firms about business opportunities here in Macon. I want to expose them to this area of the states because it’s such a vibrant, growing community."