Bennett Jones has brought in Law Society-certified environmental law specialist Gatlin Smeijers as a partner in its Toronto office.
He commenced with the firm on April 1, bringing his experience in environmental and regulatory law. He has advised on mergers and acquisitions, financings, real estate deals and development, and major mining, manufacturing and energy projects.
Smeijers has guided clients on regulatory approval processes and compliance management systems development with respect to all manner of environmental and industrial regulatory affairs. He has represented clients before all levels of government.
He has also worked with clients under regulatory investigations, enforcement, prosecution, administrative proceedings and environmental civil litigation.
This appointment marks Smeijers’ return to private practice.
“Can't express how much gratitude I have for my time with Glencore Canada and the chance to sit on ‘the other side of the desk’ and gain some deep experience within the mining and commodities business,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Presently, Smeijers is a special lecturer on engineering law and ethics at the University of Waterloo, where he received his BASc in geological engineering in 2008.
Before transitioning to Bennett Jones, Smeijers was associate vice president - legal at international commodity trading and mining company Glencore from January 2022 to April 2025. According to LinkedIn, he was also a corporate director at mineral exploration company Group Eleven Resources Corp and an of counsel concentrating on environmental law at Norton Rose Fulbright in Toronto.
In addition, he was an associate with Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP from January 2019 to May 2020. He was also an associate with Gowling Canada from June 2012 to December 2018.
Smeijers was called to the Ontario Bar in 2012 and received his certification as an environmental law specialist from the Law Society of Ontario in December 2024. He obtained his JD in law from Queen’s University in 2011.