Dawda Mann lost a beloved member of its family with the passing of our longtime friend and colleague, Sidney Smith. Sid served as a well-known and respected lawyer in Detroit for more than 40 years, specializing in corporate law, estate planning and tax, and after his retirement in 1990 served as Of Counsel for Dawda Mann
“It was an honor and privilege to have him as a mentor, colleague and friend. Sid was the definition of what you’d want a lawyer to be: honest, intelligent and always putting his clients’ best interests first,” said Curt Mann, one of the founding members of the firm. “I owe a lot of what I know professionally and outside of work to Sid. He knew how to keep a great balance in life, making sure to make time for family, travel and sports, especially golf. Everyone who met Sid was blessed by his presence, and he will be deeply missed by the Dawda Mann family.”
During his legal career, Sid participated in philanthropic work and served on the boards of several corporations and foundations, including the Board of the Baldwin Public Library in Birmingham, Michigan where he was the president for several years. He was a founding member of the Board that created the Holy Name School Scholarship and Educational Excellence Development Foundation and created the Sidney W. Smith, Jr. Scholarship at Duke Law School.
He was passionate about everything he loved in life: family, friends, his legal profession, Duke University (especially its football and basketball teams), helping others and taking time to live life to its fullest. The complete obituary can be found on the Detroit Free Press.
