Natasha Smith

Partner

 | Toronto

Natasha Smith leads the Charity & Not-for-Profit team at Cassels, serving as a trusted advisor to organizations committed to making a difference. Her practice is exclusively dedicated to helping charities and non-profits achieve their missions with confidence, clarity, and compliance.

Natasha partners with boards and executive teams to strengthen governance, ensure tax compliance, and design structures that support long-term sustainability. Her approach goes beyond legal advice – she provides strategic guidance that empowers organizations to maximize impact and adapt to a rapidly changing regulatory and funding environment.

From incorporation and charitable registration to international operations, strategic revenue generation models, and reporting obligations, Natasha delivers tailored solutions that align with your mission. She also brings deep expertise in transformative initiatives such as mergers and asset transfers, social enterprise and social finance ventures, and corporate reorganizations – helping organizations grow, innovate, and thrive.

Recognized as a Lexpert Rising Star in 2021 and consistently ranked by Lexpert and Chambers Canada as “Up-and-Coming,” Natasha combines technical excellence with a practical, mission-driven perspective. Her goal is simple: to be the trusted partner organizations turn to when navigating complexity, so they can focus on creating meaningful change.

  • Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (Charities/Not-For-Profit) (2025)
  • Chambers Canada (Charities/Non-profits)
  • Lexpert, Rising Star Award (2021)
  • The Peak, Emerging Leader (Social Impact) (2022)
  • ACCESS Community Capital Fund Inc., Governance and Nominations Committee, Director, Vice-Chair, and Chair (2017-2021)
  • CivicAction DiverseCity Leadership Fellowship, Fellow (2020-2021)
  • hErVOLUTION, Member, Advisory Council
  • The Empire Club of Canada, Director
  • J.D., University of Windsor, 2012
  • B.A. (Communications), University of Calgary, 2007
  • Ontario, 2013
  • Canadian Association of Black Lawyers
  • Canadian Bar Association
  • North America Regional Board for the Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers (GAIL)
  • Ontario Bar Association, Taxation Section, Charities & Not-for-Profit Law Section Executive, Chair (2020-2021)