Amanda Smith Hatt

About Amanda

I enjoy helping businesses, entrepreneurs, and Indigenous organizations navigate important decisions with practical legal advice that is clear, strategic, and focused on achieving real business outcomes.

I’ve always enjoyed the business side of law.

Before becoming a lawyer, I studied finance and economics and worked in wealth management with RBC Dominion Securities, assisting high-net-worth individuals with investment planning. I’ve always been interested in strategy, problem-solving, and understanding how businesses grow, which naturally led me to a career in corporate and commercial law.

My legal career has taken me from Nova Scotia to London, England, and Canada’s Arctic before bringing me home again. Along the way, I’ve advised entrepreneurs, businesses, and Indigenous organizations in private practice and as in-house counsel on a broad range of corporate, commercial, governance, financing, and economic development matters. Those experiences gave me the opportunity to work alongside a wide variety of clients and businesses, but they also reinforced one thing: legal advice is most valuable when it’s practical, clear, and aligned with a client’s business goals.

Working in private practice, internationally, and in-house has given me the opportunity to see legal issues from many different perspectives. It also taught me that effective legal advice isn’t just about knowing the law – it’s about understanding the client’s business, objectives, and risk tolerance.

I enjoy working alongside clients, accountants, lenders, and other advisors to solve problems, structure transactions, and help businesses move forward with confidence.

How I Help Clients

I work with entrepreneurs, private companies, First Nations, and Indigenous organizations on a wide variety of corporate and commercial matters, including:

• Buying and selling businesses
• Corporate reorganizations
• Commercial financing
• Shareholder agreements
• Commercial contracts
• Corporate governance
• Indigenous corporate and commercial matters
• First Nations economic development initiatives

Many of my clients are building something, whether it’s a new business, an acquisition, a restructuring, or the next stage of growth. I enjoy helping turn those ideas into reality and seeing clients reach important milestones along the way.

Representative Experience

Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide range of sophisticated transactions and strategic projects, including:

• Assisting with the restructuring of a First Nation’s business operations into a corporate model designed to support long-term economic development and governance.
• Acting on the multi-million-dollar sale of a private company to a publicly traded purchaser involving institutional financing.
• Designing and implementing complex corporate reorganizations involving holding companies, trusts, estate freezes, succession planning, tax planning, and future business growth.

I’ve also advised clients across a broad range of industries, including construction, technology, manufacturing, professional services, transportation and logistics, energy, hospitality, retail, health care, financial services, publishing, and commercial real estate.

My Approach

I understand that clients often come to a lawyer during significant moments in their business. Whether they’re making an acquisition, negotiating an important agreement, or planning for the future, they need advice they can understand and trust.

My goal is to make the legal process as straightforward as possible. I explain complex issues in plain language, communicate openly, and focus on practical solutions that align with my clients’ business objectives.

For me, success isn’t simply completing a transaction. It’s becoming someone clients feel comfortable calling whenever a new opportunity or challenge arises.

Beyond the Office

Nova Scotia has always been home, and outside of work I enjoy spending time with my husband and our two young children. We also have two very opinionated sphynx cats who certainly keep life interesting.

I’m happiest when I’m outdoors. I enjoy gardening, kayaking, cycling, and tackling home improvement projects whenever I get the chance. I also love a good adventure. Over the years I’ve canoed the Shubenacadie Canal from Dartmouth to the Bay of Fundy, cycled the length of Prince Edward Island, and even learned to ride a motorcycle while living in Vietnam.

Giving back to the community is also important to me. I volunteer with the Cole Harbour Parks and Trails Association and the Cole Harbour Community Fridge, built and maintain two Little Free Libraries in Cole Harbour, provide pro bono legal services when I can, and enjoy volunteering with my children’s sports teams and community events.