Smolin graduated first in his class and
Order of the Coif from the
University of Cincinnati College of Law. He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of inter-country adoption, and a nationally recognized expert in
Bioethics and
Biotechnology,
Reproductive Constitutional law, Family and Juvenile law, and Law and
Religion. He has testified before legislative committees in the
U.S. Congress, as well as in five states on
constitutional issues. Smolin joined the Cumberland faculty in 1987 after clerking for Senior Judge
George Edwards of the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1986 to 1987. Prior to that Smolin worked in a psychiatric hospital. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the
interdenominational Beeson Divinity School. Smolin is the author of over 35 articles, primarily published as
law reviews, though some of his works have appeared in journals such as
First Things. Much of Smolin's academic work concerns
international adoption,
child trafficking and
child laundering.
Inter-country adoption Al Jazeera interview - Stolen Babies - People and Power segment On June 24, 2009 Smolin appeared in an interview with
Al Jazeera on the subject of stolen babies from
Guatemala, (see
Human trafficking,
Child laundering) He states the need to: Reform international adoption by putting a priority on keeping children in their original family and within their community. Smolin also believes that without a safe adoption system, comparatively wealthy families seeking to adopt children from impoverished nations are in a position to exploit that poverty, and where $20–30,000 may be spent to adopt a child, several hundred dollars may be all that is needed to reunite a child with that child's family and substantially improve conditions within the child's community. In general he believes that one major problem with international adoption is that the adoptions system is corrupted by far too much money and that there are no real consequences for violating adoption regulations. Richard Cross, a senior special agent for
Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] assigned to the ICE Human Trafficking Unit in Seattle, Washington, spoke at the event: Richard Cross, the lead federal investigator for the
prosecution of Lauryn Galindo for visa fraud and money laundering involved in Cambodian adoptions, estimated that most of the 800 adoptions Galindo facilitated were fraudulent--either based on fraudulent paperwork, coerced/induced/recruited relinquishments, babies bought, identities of the children switched, etc.
Adopting Internationally website Smolin and his wife launched Adopting Internationally website, a website meant to provide information regarding "the complex issues associated with international adoption." The site includes personal stories and academic analysis. The site is also based, in part, on the Smolin's personal experience in the field of international adoption, and the Smolins are unabashedly dedicated to reforming intercountry adoption "so that it may consistently and reliably assist all members of the adoption triad (birth families, adoptees, and adoptive families)."
Biotechnology, law and ethics Smolin heads Cumberland Law School's
Center for Biotechnology, Law, and Ethics, a center unlike any other of its kind in the United States. Research focuses on contemporary bioethics dilemmas and issues related to the Center's Annual
Symposium, which is typically co-sponsored by the
Cumberland Law Review. The Center has attracted numerous experts including ethicist
Gregory Pence, atmospheric scientist
John Christy, and
U.S. Congressman Artur Davis. Each year the
Cumberland Law Review typically publishes an issue featuring articles by visiting speakers.
Human rights Smolin is a
human rights advocate but approaches the international movement with concerns, which can be summed up in the conclusion to his paper
Will International Human Rights Be Used as a Tool of Cultural Genocide? The Interaction of Human Rights Norms, Religion, Culture, and Gender published by the Journal of Law and Religion. Smolin's basic view regarding the scope of the international movement is that not all worthy human causes deserve to be labeled or acted upon as a right. He believes that doing so could erode or destroy the most basic human rights if the international movement gained enough power to enact all of its goals. ==Background==