Laura Salvatori, Anson Funds’ GC, has found satisfaction in straddling the cross-border world
Salvatori says GC roles attract people who like being jacks of all trades and rolling their sleeves up By Julius Melnitzer | July 8, 2023 Based in Toronto but with her “heart in New York,” Laura Salvatori, Anson Funds’ general counsel, has found satisfaction by straddling both worlds. Anson is a privately held alternative asset management […]
Sheila Ritson-Bennett says a creative mindset at Corus Entertainment bodes well for her ESG program
Sheila Ritson-Bennett says Corus culture has a level of courage about new ideas By Julius Melnitzer | June 26, 2023 The creative and entrepreneurial mindset at Corus Entertainment Inc., says Sheila Ritson-Bennett, the company’s first head of environment and sustainability, governance, bodes well for the goals she is striving to achieve. “People are very open and […]
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. […]
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 […]
Giselle Basanta on becoming one of only a few Black females leading a legal department in Canada
By Julius Melnitzer | May 18, 2023 There are very few Black females leading legal departments in Canada. Giselle Basanta, a latecomer to the law after the better part of two decades as a public servant, is one of them. She is only aware of four others. When George Brown College went looking for a […]
Christine Silversides’ small team at York University is a lesson in maximizing resources
Christine Silversides says teamwork, hard work, dedication, creativity, and training are key to managing the demanding workload By Julius Melnitzer | May 13, 2023 In 2006, Christine Silversides joined York University’s Office of the Counsel as director of legal services, becoming the fourth lawyer on the team. Thirteen years later, Silversides became general counsel. As it […]
BMO legal department’s pro bono efforts cross borders
Theresa Ducket says it’s not difficult to get buy-in for pro bono from her team By Julius Melnitzer | April 21, 2023 Law firms seem to do a much better job touting their pro bono work – not to mention themselves – than do in-house legal departments. Surprising it may be, then, to discover that more […]
Rusty Juma lives his dream as Volkswagen’s new general counsel
Success in automotive industry isn’t that different from success in professional services, he says By Julius Melnitzer | April 12, 2023 Rusty Juma has spent his entire in-house career with professional services firms; he’s also been a car aficionado all his life. So, his new job as general counsel and corporate secretary to Volkswagen Group Canada Inc. and […]