Profile
Lauren is an associate at Torkin Manes in our Not-for-Profit and Charities Law practice group.
Lauren works with a diverse range of clients including public and private foundations, charitable organizations, social enterprises, municipalities, and non-profits. She regularly assists clients with incorporation, drafting and interpreting by-laws, obtaining and maintaining charitable registration, drafting and negotiating contracts, and winding-up.
She also assists clients undergoing tax audits, advises charities on parameters for investments, and has been involved with a number of mergers in the charitable sector.
Lauren provides legal and strategic advice to clients on matters including member and director disputes, internal investigations, fiduciary duties of directors, joint ventures, directors’ and officers’ liability, policy and governance, fundraising, charitable gifting, regulatory compliance, and risk management. She services clients in a broad range of sectors including health and long-term care, religion, education, recreation, community and social services, and industry associations.
Lauren holds a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University, and prior to attending law school, she taught elementary and secondary school for four years, both in Canada and at an international school in Stockholm, Sweden.
Lauren has volunteered with several outreach organizations that serve the legal and non-legal needs of local communities, including Lawyers Feed the Hungry, Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, and Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC). In the spring of 2021, Lauren joined the board of directors of Hand Up Toronto, a charity that works to alleviate food insecurity in the Greater Toronto Area.