Laésha Smith

Laésha is a named-partner at Poulus Ensom Smith LLP, a new litigation boutique in Vancouver focused on high-stakes corporate, commercial and securities disputes.  First called to the Bar in New York in 2006, Laésha has maintained a dispute resolution practice for nearly two decades that focuses on securities, administrative law and complex commercial litigation across multiple jurisdictions in Asia, Europe and North America.  

Before her firm commenced in February 2022, Laésha was a partner at a leading litigation boutique in BC and also 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  and London 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. Laésha has appeared as counsel at all levels of court as well as various tribunals in British Columbia.

Laésha enjoys mentoring young lawyers and law students.  She currently sits on the CBA’s Access to Justice Committee and is the co-chair of the CBA’s Women Lawyer’s Forum’s Education Committee.