Simone von Werden Kraus

Simone von Werden Kraus is Counsel in the International Section of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

She has particular expertise in German, Spanish and European Economic Community law and has practiced with the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus in Düsseldorf, Germany and an international law firm in Barcelona, Spain.

Mrs. Kraus’ primary practice areas are Immigration, Corporate Law and International Business Transactions.

Mrs. Kraus received a J.D. degree from the University of Freiburg School of Law, West Germany, in 1978 and passed the German Bar examination in 1981 after having clerked with various courts in Germany and the German American Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco, California. She studied Law at the Escuela de Practica Juridica of the bar association in Barcelona, Spain in 1983 and was admitted to the Spanish Bar. She also studied law in the United States and received a Master of Law degree in 1984. She was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1986.

Mrs. Kraus is fluent in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and German and passed certified translator’s examinations for the Spanish, French, Portuguese and German language after having studied Spanish and French at the Language and Interpreter Institute in Munich, Germany and at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas 1982. She also studied Portuguese at Inlingua School of Languages and Italian at an Italian language school in Atlanta and received a certificate of completion in Portuguese in 1986 and Italian in 1989. She passed the German Business Diploma of the Carl Duisberg Society at Georgia State University in Atlanta in 1985.

Mrs. Kraus is admitted to the bar in the State of Georgia, USA, the Federal Republic of Germany and Spain. She has served as guest lecturer at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia and was Chairperson of the International Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia and a member of the international committee of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Hispanic Chamber and the German American Chamber of Commerce.

Mrs. Kraus is a member of the Bar of Düsseldorf, Germany, the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia, International Section and the Bar Association of Madrid, Spain. She received an award form the Department of Education in Germany and the American Jurisprudence Award in 1984.

Mrs. Kraus is a frequent speaker, both domestically and abroad, on immigration and corporate aspects on conducting business in the United States.