Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50875
EDITOR'S BOX By Andi Balla INHOUSE Group Publisher: Karen Lorimer Editorial Director: Gail J. Cohen Editor: Andi Balla Staff Writer: Robert Todd Copy Editor: Katia Caporiccio Art Director: Bill Hunter Account Co-ordinator: Catherine Giles Advertising Sales Representatives Legal Suppliers: Kimberlee Pascoe Tel: (905) 841-6480 x4052 E-mail: kimberlee.pascoe@thomsonreuters.com Law Firms: Karen Lorimer Tel: (647) 288-8018 E-mail: karen.lorimer@thomsonreuters.com Sales Co-ordinator: Sandy Shutt E-mail: sandra.shutt@thomsonreuters.com Canadian Lawyer InHouse is published 6 times a year by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd., One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy RD., Toronto ON. M1T 3V4 (905) 841-6480. Fax : 647-288-5418 Web: www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse LinkedIn group: www.goo.gl/9tytr Editorial advisory board: Robin Brudner, MLSE Ltd.; Sanjeev Dhawan, Hydro One Networks Inc.; Kari Horn, Alberta Securities Commission; Jonathan Lau, TVO; Janis Vanderburgh, York Region Rapid Transit Corp. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted without written permission. The opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the publisher. Information presented is compiled from sources believed to be accurate, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Canadian Lawyer InHouse disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, com- pleteness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. Publications Mail Agreement #40766500 ISSN 1921-9563 Copyright © 2011 H.S.T. Registration #R121349799 To subscribe or change addresses Call 905-841-6480 x2732 Fax 905-841-6786 or e-mail Jacquie Clancy at jacquie.clancy@thomsonreuters.com RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESS TO: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy RD., Toronto ON. M1T 3V4 Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse Are you making a difference? do I make the world a better place?" This is not unique to lawyers, but per- haps because members of this commu- nity are smart, well educated, and hard- working, they probably worry about this more than others. I suspect if you are Dawn Devoe, gen- I eral counsel at World Vision Canada and the lawyer we profile on page 36, mak- ing the world a better place comes with the job. But there are opportunities for anyone to get involved — you just have to look for them. For example, I recently attended the launch of the Legal Leaders for Diversity and Inclusiveness initiative, which started with 40 general counsel signing a pledge to promote diversity within their own departments and con- sider diversity in their hiring and pur- chasing practices. Speaking at the event, Ontario Lt.-Gov. David Onley pointed out that, statistically, giving a job to a highly qualified person with a disability proves better for a company in the long- run as these workers are more loyal and work harder on average. Ken Fredeen, one of the organizers of the initiative, and general counsel at Deloitte & Touche LLP, agrees. "This is not about just doing the right thing, but it is the business case," he says. Fredeen was also one of the participants at the InHouse/ACC General Counsel Roundtable, featured in this issue's cover story "A growing role" on page 16. It was the second general counsel roundtable I had been involved in since I took over as n-house lawyers have told me sev- eral times about particular points in their careers in which they sat down and asked themselves: "What is my role? Where do I stand? How editor of InHouse. I noticed that despite the changes in economy, regulations, and demands, basic challenges remain the same for legal department leaders year after year: keep up with your role inside the organization, keep legal spending in check, and properly manage risk in all areas, including privacy and privilege. As you might have noticed on our masthead, since the last issue, we have had a small group of in-house counsel join us in the role of advisory board members. Since I took over as editor, they have been trusted sources, have patiently answered questions, and provided leads on how to best cover the in-house law- yer community. Their contribution and advice to the InHouse team will help keep this magazine on the right path to serve its readers. I'm afraid, however, that my own path splits here. This is my last editorial before I leave InHouse. Every editor who takes over a publication brings in something new and hopefully leaves behind a legacy. In my tenure here, I tried to bring a glo- bal business perspective to all Canadian issues, not only because of my own per- sonal background, but also because in the current world, almost every issue is local and global at the same time. As I depart to pursue other opportunities and perhaps try to take some time to answer much of the same questions I posed at the opening of this editorial, I'd like to thank you for all the access and advice you provide for our coverage. Please keep on doing the same in the future, and remember InHouse offers a lot of web-exclusive content so don't forget to visit us online at canadianlawyermag. com/inhouse. IH Send your news and story ideas to clb.cleditor@thomsonreuters.com INHOUSE AUGUST 2011 • 3