Ashley Butts’ career shows that success in-house and private practice are not always intertwined
Ashley Butts’ career focus revolves around skill sets learned in criminology and sociology studies By Julius Melnitzer | August 8, 2023 The career of Ashley Butts, senior legal counsel in BASF Canada Inc.’s Toronto office, provides strong support for the emerging proposition that success in-house and private law firm experience are not necessarily intertwined. “Law was […]
Working for one client attracted TC Energy’s Lesley Lee in-house
Her 13-member litigation and employment department is responsible for both Canada and the US By Julius Melnitzer | July 25, 2023 When Lesley Lee, director of litigation and employment law at TC Energy, decided to move in-house from her private firm practice, focus is what attracted her. “I enjoyed private practice, but liked the idea of […]
In-house views of remote work diverge significantly
By Julius Melnitzer | July 18, 2023 The “working from home” controversy, it appears, is no less intense among legal departments than it is elsewhere. The degree of the divide is evident from the breadth of the opinion spectrum: at one extreme are traditionalists on this issue like Fernando Garcia, who has over 15 years […]
Law firm experience is no longer vital before transitioning in-house
Fernando Garcia, Andrea Wood By Julius Melnitzer | July 13, 2023 A few years of experience at a law firm, previously considered a must – or at least an advantage – may have lost some of its lustre for lawyers seeking in-house careers. “Things have changed, at least a bit,” says Fernando Garcia, who has over […]
Tim Hortons’ Jon Domanko heads up a relatively small but very expert in-house team for a big job
Jon Domanko believes law firms provide essential training grounds for lawyers who want in-house careers By Julius Melnitzer | July 5, 2023 When Jon Domanko decided he liked the in-house counsel’s job better than his boss’, he set out on an unwavering course that took him to his current position as Tim Hortons’ top lawyer in […]
Shifting in-house from cost centres to strategic centres should be consultants’ consuming objective
Mark Le Blanc says leaders must expand their teams’ skill sets and approach management anew By Julius Melnitzer | June 28, 2023 Shifting legal departments from cost centres to strategic centres should be consultants’ consuming objective in advising in-house leaders, says Marc Le Blanc, a former general counsel turned consultant at Toronto-based Simplex Legal LLP, affiliated […]
Mastercard’s Marvin Mikhail: good in-house counsel are ‘sponges’ who soak up business from inside
When in-house teams are doing their job properly, legal services are not a commodity, says Marvin Mikhail By Julius Melnitzer | June 21, 2023 Marvin Mikhail, vice president and senior managing counsel for Mastercard in Canada, likens his role to that of a sponge. “Successful in-house lawyers are most valuable when they advise their companies from […]
Wilfrid Laurier University GC Dahlia Bateman on steps to success for young in-house counsel
Bateman says private law firm experience is not the “be all and end all” to in-house success By Julius Melnitzer | June 20, 2023 Dahlia Bateman, general counsel and lead for the Office of Legal Services and Fair Practices at Wilfrid Laurier University, is well-placed to opine on what it takes to succeed as a young […]
In-house lawyers will not solve their problems by improving legal service delivery: consultant
Peter Connor says there’s a difference between being a business partner and partnering in business By Julius Melnitzer | June 12, 2023 In-house lawyers will not solve their problems by improving legal service delivery. They must change their work and how they do it, says Peter Connor, the founder and CEO of Alternatively Legal. With 40 […]
David Forsayeth always wanted back into a business role, and he got it in spades in-house at Flipp
Building internal processes for working with the legal group is among David Forsayeth’s proudest accomplishments By Julius Melnitzer | June 6, 2023 After graduating with a bachelor of commerce degree, David Forsayeth, general counsel at Flipp Corp., always imagined himself in a business role. Law school intervened, as did four years as a private mergers and […]