Chelsea Smith

About Chelsea Smith

Chelsea Smith acts for plaintiffs in class actions, mass torts and other complex cases with many parties, working as an associate in the class actions group at McKenzie Lake Lawyers in London. Those clients come from across Canada, and the claims deal with defective products, consumer rights and social justice. Smith works in English and French, is committed to access to justice in both official languages, and belongs to the bars of Ontario and Quebec.

The firm is where Smith's legal career took shape: summers and articles there came with hands-on work on several class actions, and the Ontario call followed in 2017. Over the years the team's caseload has included the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre class action, the Volkswagen diesel emissions case and the 2011 Manitoba flood class action, alongside major pharmaceutical and consumer claims. Another chapter came at the United Nations in Geneva, briefing Canada's Ambassador and the First Secretary, Legal Affairs on public international law questions.

Teaching has been part of the picture too. As an adjunct professor at Western Law, Smith led two upper-year JD courses and an LL.M. course, all delivered in French.

London's home, but Smith has also lived in Trois-Pistoles, Alma and Quebec City, and in Ornex, France, and those moves turned a love of French into fluency. A 2011 Huron University College graduate, Smith is president of its alumni association board, sits on its Board of Governors, and received Huron's Young Alumni Award of Distinction in 2018. Off the clock you'll find Smith swimming with the London Silver Dolphins masters team, reading, volunteering or cheering on the Western Mustangs football team.