Laésha J. Smith

Partner

For nearly two decades, Laésha has maintained a dispute resolution practice that focuses on securities, administrative law and complex commercial litigation. As an administrative lawyer she has worked extensively on investigations and enforcement proceedings involving government/regulatory agencies in the US, the UK and Canada. She has represented clients in hearings before various administrative tribunals and has assisted in both challenging and defending decisions or actions taken by governments, regulatory bodies and tribunals. Her clients have included global financial institutions with frequent international travel to represent them across multiple jurisdictions in Asia, Europe and North America. Her litigation experience builds upon her ability to advocate and navigate through complex contested proceedings. She has appeared as counsel at all levels of court in British Columbia and regularly assists clients to achieve favorable court outcomes as well as settlements.

In BC, before Poulus Ensom Smith LLP, Laésha was a partner at McEwan Partners and served in the public sector as litigation counsel in the Enforcement Department of the British Columbia Securities Commission. Prior to relocating to BC in 2015, Laésha practiced for 10 years at top international law firms in New York (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP) and London (Allen & Overy LLP) where her practice focused on high stakes commercial litigation and on acting for large financial institutions in relation to a broad range of regulatory and white collar criminal issues including market manipulation, insider trading, anti-bribery and corruption, mis-selling, fraud and other types of system and controls failings.

Education

McGill University

LL.B 2005

Queen's University

B.A., with honors 2002

Bar Admission

New York, British Columbia

2006, 2017

Recognition

Benchmark Litigation Canada – Short-listed, Securities Litigator of the Year, 2024

Chambers & Partners Canada, 2025 - British Columba, Litigation: Securities, Band 2; British Columbia, Litigation: General Commercial, Band 6

Benchmark Litigation Canada, Top 100 Women in Litigation 2023-present

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada, 2024-present

Benchmark Litigation Canada – Emerging Talent, BC Litigator of the Year, 2023

Benchmark Litigation Canada, Litigation Star 2023-present

Benchmark Litigation Canada, Future Star 2022

40 and Under Hot List in Canada, 2020

Community Involvement

Rise Women's Legal Centre - Appointed President of the Board of Directors

Member, Canadian Bar Association (CBA) - Appointed Co-Chair, CBA Women Lawyers Forum's Education Committee; Appointed to the CBA Access to Justice Committee

Member, Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) - Appointed Vice President, CABL BC Chapter; Mentor, CABL BC/BLSA Mentorship Program; Liaison to the CBA's Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee

Member, Selection Committee 2023 JD Bridges Bursary, JD Bridges Foundation

Member, The Advocates' Society

Member, Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia

Member, Vancouver Bar Association

Member, Women's White Collar Defense Association

Select Works

Successfully negotiated a settlement with the BC Securities Commission in relation to breaches of sections 61, 34(a) and 168.2 of the Securities Act by the CEO and director of a FinTech company stemming from a capital raise of approximately $29.7 million.

Successfully defended an application to strike defendant's response to civil claim and counterclaim for failure to comply with the Rules and a court order. Also successfully defended against the alternative relief sought by the plaintiff for inspection orders and additional discovery.

Successfully resolved a Capital Markets Regulation misconduct referral to the Enforcement division of BC Securities Commission in relation to potential breach of section 34(a) of the Securities Act by a private IR Company.

Successfully negotiated a settlement with the BC Securities Commission in relation to a breach of section 34(a) of the Securities Act by a related entity to a mortgage investment fund.

Successfully resolved a BC Securities Commission investigation into directors and officers of a reporting issuer for potential breaches of sections 168.1(1)(b) and 85(b) of the Securities Act.

Successfully obtained a Sealing Order for a fintech start-up on the basis of potential irreparable reputational harm.

Obtained a Norwich Order directing third party operators of online platforms to disclose information necessary to identify perpetrators of an online defamatory campaign.

Successfully appealed a decision of the BC Securities Commission dismissing an application to set aside or vary freeze orders and established new threshold evidentiary standards applicable to all Commission freeze orders going forward.

Successfully struck the vast majority of court claims brought by the BC Securities Commission as brought without statutory authority and failing to disclose a reasonable cause of action.

Successfully opposed a lawyer's petition for judicial review seeking to stay a Law Society investigation into to the lawyer's entire practice.

Successfully opposed an application for a mandatory injunction brought by a plaintiff compelling the execution of priority agreements, subordination agreements, and postponement agreements required to secure financing in relation to a real estate development deal.

Publications

"Oral Advocacy – Mastering the Art of Speaking in Any Forum" – Panel member, Canadian Association of Black Lawyer's Annual Conference (October 2024)

"British Columbia Securities Commission Enforcement Update" – Panel member, CBABC Securities Law Section (October 2024)

"Civil Proceedings, Class Actions and Misrepresentations" – Panel member, CLEBC Securities Litigation 2024 (March 8, 2024)

"Pleading Fraud, Breach of Fiduciary Duties and Other Common Claims" – Panel member, CLEBC Commercial Litigation 2023 (November 28, 2023)

"Surprise!: Dealing with the Unexpected at Trial" – Panel member, CLEBC Direct Examination 2023 (September 20, 2023)

"Careers in the Legal Profession: Which Path is Right for You?" – Panel moderator, CBABC Women Lawyers Forum (May 16, 2023)

"Legal Professional Panel" – Panel member, Annual Black Law Students Association Pre-Law Conference (January 28, 2023)

"How the BC Courts are breathing new life into Section 171 of the Securities Act" – Speaker, The Advocates' Society 12th Annual Securities Symposium (September 14, 2022)

"The Shift: Leveraging Your Law Degree Across Borders" – Panel member, 31st Annual Black Law Students' Association of Canada Conference (February 18, 2022)

Paralegal Italba Florio (778) 727-3511 iflorio@peslitigation.com

Awards

Benchmark Litigation: Top 100 Women in Litigation 2024 Benchmark Litigation: Litigation Star 2024 Benchmark Litigation: Top 100 Women in Litigation 2025 Chambers: Hein Poulus 2025 Best Lawyers: Poulus Ensom Smith 2026