Stepping out of her comfort zone is the key to success for Isabelle Durand, CLO at iA Financial
Isabelle Durand had much to learn when she moved to the highly regulated financial services sector By Julius Melnitzer | June 16, 2023 When Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. asked Isabelle Durand to step out of her comfort zone and become the company’s vice president and chief legal officer, she jumped at the opportunity: […]
WorkSafeNB’s GC David Luther cleared a 9-month, 400-case backlog in six weeks
By Julius Melnitzer | June 14, 2023 Within six weeks of implementing general counsel David Luther’s recommendations in June 2022, the Decision Review Office of WorkSafeNB, the New Brunswick crown corporation charged with administering the province’s workers’ compensation regime, had eliminated its 400-case, 9-month wait backlog, implemented core service standards and automation, and lowered operational costs. […]
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 […]
Boards must have a long-term risk management strategy in light of global crises: experts
Clemens Mayr says businesses must strengthen and generate trust in distrusting times. By Julius Melnitzer | June 1, 2023 Beginning with COVID-19, crises and disruptions – geopolitical uncertainty, the Ukraine war, supply chain issues, workplace upheaval, inflation, interest rates, energy transition – seem to be de rigueur. The upshot is that may be time to revisit […]
Farah Ismail and Fasken form unique partnership to create in-house department for SE Healthcare
Farah Ismail By Julius Melnitzer | May 27, 2023 Good general counsel know that “at the beginning” is frequently the best time to call in the troops from their trusted law firms. But “before the beginning” taxes the imagination – unless you happen to be Farah Ismail, senior vice-president and chief legal, privacy and compliance officer […]
Creating a new legal department can be daunting and fraught with challenges
Giselle Basanta says GCs need to control the money if they are to control legal services By Julius Melnitzer | May 25, 2023 The Association of Corporate Counsel’s guide on establishing an in-house law department begins with a warning. “Whether the attorney hired to create the organization’s first in-house legal department has served as in-house counsel […]
FLO’s Chief Legal and Public Affairs Officer Travis Allan has a broader job description than most
Allan says scaling the legal team as his company grows is his greatest challenge By Julius Melnitzer | May 24, 2023 It’s fashionable to observe that good general counsel are integrated with their organization’s business. If that’s so, Travis Allan’s position at FLO Services Inc., the Quebec City-based operator of one of North America’s largest electric […]
High focus, a pragmatic bias and technology are keys to navigating cost-cutting pressures in-house
Mark Dodd says in-house lawyers in cost-cutting environments should attend only essential meetings. By Julius Melnitzer | May 23, 2023 In uncertain economic times, the great conundrum for in-house counsel is that cost-cutting and workload are inevitably inversely proportional. Faced with this dilemma, Mark Dodd, head of market insights at Lawyers on Demand, an international alternative […]
Too Nice For This World
Photo by Francesco Ungaro at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | May 22, 2003 Before you read this story, I should let you know that this is a sad story which does not end well. Long ago I had a great professional relationship and friendship with Laurence. I liked Laurence a lot. He was honest and […]