About
Nick is an Indigenous lawyer; his family is from the Ermineskin Cree Nation (a Treaty 6 Nation). He practices Indigenous business law, working primarily with Indigenous Nations, Indigenous-owned businesses, and Indigenous not-for-profit societies.
As a visitor to our clients’ lands, Nick approaches his work with the utmost respect for the Indigenous laws and customs of the First Nations he works with. He takes time to understand each community’s history and teachings, keeping a grounded perspective and listening to his clients.
Before becoming a lawyer, Nick was an aspiring civil engineer. He worked for a small First Nations band on Vancouver Island, where he represented the community in environmental assessment consultations with government agencies and project proponents.
EXPERTISE
Nick provides solicitor services for First Nations relating to economic development, natural resource development, commercial transactions, and governance. He builds on recognized and affirmed rights articulated in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Nick works with First Nations in the development of their laws, project benefits agreements, and corporate structures. He supports them in commercial negotiations with government and industry.
Recently, Nick has worked with the BC Assembly of First Nations in the ongoing legislative implementation of DRIPA. He provides legal and policy support for critical areas that impact First Nations, such as economic development and resource management.
WORTH NOTING
Nick is a former volleyball player and representative of Canada at the Cal Ripken World Series of Baseball (an international baseball tournament for 12-year-olds). He loves competitive activities like running, golf, and completing the famed Grouse Grind in record time.
Nick appreciates urban infrastructure and commercial development. He often visits large cities, where you will find him wandering around loaded up on yummy carbohydrate-filled baked goods.
Credentials
- Called to the Bar in BC, 2020
- Board Member (Appointed by the Province of British Columbia), Langara Board of Governors, Term of appointment: December 12, 2023 to July 31, 2025
- Juris Doctor (JD), Specialization in Aboriginal Law, Concentration in Business Law, Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia, 2019
- Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc), Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2016
ACHIEVEMENTS
Nick was part of the MT+Co. team that drafted the cooperation agreement between Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation (SSN) and New Gold mining company. The SSN-New Gold Agreement is a precedent-setting project benefits agreement. It recognizes SSN title and decision-making authority and SSN’s legal orders. Nick was very involved in developing the consent-based decision-making process, which requires New Gold to obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of SSN when making decisions that relate to the project or could have an impact on SSN’s Ancestral Lands.
⁺Nicholas U. Smith Law Corporation
