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Leslie's Core Beliefs

"I strive each day to live and work by one principle - treat others as I would want to be treated. In my practice, that
translates into 4 key values: Integrity, Compassion, Excellence, Wisdom."

leslie-j-smith

Leslie J. Smith, B.A., LL.B.

Called to the Ontario Bar in 1988, Leslie J. Smith has enjoyed 36+ years as a lawyer in Ontario.

Although her practice is now restricted to Employment Law, Leslie has had a wide and deep array of experience as a lawyer in areas such as personal injury, insurance law, human rights claims, tort and contract litigation, commercial litigation, real estate and mortgage litigation, residential real estate conveyancing and estate planning and administration.

Within her Employment Law practise, Leslie regularly provides employees and employers with negotiation, mediation and litigation on all employment law matters including hiring issues, retaining and terminating employees, disability claims, discrimination, leave of absence management, performance management, harassment, employment contracts and post-employment duties.

Leslie also conducts Workplace Investigations including investigations into allegations of moral failure in the religious workplace. Leslie’s investigations have ranged from simple to very complex including an investigation with 12 separate complaints within one organization.

Trained as a Mediator (2008), Leslie has conducted numerous mediations and maintains a mediation practice.

Between 2003 and 2021, Leslie sat as a Deputy Judge, Small Claims Court in Halton County. This was a part-time position open only to lawyers with at least 10 years of practice experience. In this role, Leslie adjudicated thousands of cases on all matters heard by the Court.

Leslie was a Legal columnist for 17 years with the Burlington Post and has given numerous lectures and talks to lawyers and law students primarily on Employment Law.

Leslie’s Speaking Engagements have included the Ontario Bar Association Institute (2017) Charities and Not-for-Profit Section and Christian Legal Fellowship National Conference on employment law, ethics and professionalism.

In 2014, Leslie published her first book entitled “Legal Ease – Essential Legal Strategies to Protect Canadian Non-Union Employees”, a basis reference guidebook written for the non-lawyer.

Leslie is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario, Halton County Law Association, Christian Legal Fellowship and Canadian Christian Business Federation.

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Leslie brings to her clients a wealth of legal experience gained since her Call to the Ontario Bar in 1988. Articling at an elite litigation firm in Toronto (1986/7), Leslie was first trained in Insurance Law (personal injury, property, casualty, disability) and Civil Litigation. In her own firm since 1995, Leslie’s practice has been focused on Employment Law, primarily assisting employees. Having a reputation as an expert in Canadian Employment Law, Leslie enjoys serving her clients with their workplace issues through negotiation, courtroom advocacy, mediation, workplace remediation and workplace investigations.

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Core Beliefs

I strive each day to live and work by one principle - treat others as I would want to be treated. In my practice, that translates into 4 key values:

I do what I say I will do and I am honest and transparent at all times with clients, staff, opposing counsel, the court and anyone else. I provide my clients with an honest assessment of their case. If I make a commitment to a client, I keep it. Integrity also means that my clients know before they retain me what my fee structure is. If a client appears unsure of whether or not to retain me or what to do, I tell them to go home and think about it first.

Integrity

Employees having difficulty at the workplace are often in considerable emotional distress when they arrive at my office. Employers can be as well. Employment issues involve human interactions, which necessarily involve emotions that sometimes need healing. I enjoy helping my employee clients think and feel differently about their situations. I also enjoy helping employers understand that their employees need to be treated with respect, dignity, kindness and fairness, no matter what is going on.

Compassion

I have an organized and logical mind that works like a trip hammer, especially in court. I can very quickly sort out the relevant facts and issues in order to resolve my client's cases efficiently. Excellence also means to approach matters with a large measure of practicality, always thinking about what is best for my client and their family and/or business. Finally, excellence also means behaving with civility. I have learned to be hard on the issues and soft on the people - a winning combination.

Excellence

I have also been blessed with discernment and intuition that allows me to often "know" what is really going on with my clients. Equally, my own life journey has led me through difficulties in personal relationships so I understand how upsetting a broken employment relationship is. My own struggles married with discernment and intuition allows me to treat my client holistically, not just legally. This is the thing that sets me apart from most other lawyers, so say my clients.

Wisdom