Canadian Lawyer InHouse

Aug/Sep 2011

Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives

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CLOSING • a roundup of legal department news and trends Companies relying more on corporate counsel Canadian companies have been relying much more on their corporate counsel over the past five years, according to a recent survey by professional services firm Deloitte & Touche LLP. While 72 per cent of Canadian companies saw their in-house lawyers as first responders to business legal issues five years ago, that number is now up to 97 per cent, according to the recent findings of the global survey. in-house lawyers' role in how legal services are provided also grew, as more work was done in-house. The findings suggest companies have become more reliant on in-house counsel particularly for advice regarding regulatory compliance, risk management, and ethics. The survey revealed 81 per cent of Canadian respondents said they are members of the executive team, but only three per cent are also members of the board of directors. Globally, those numbers are 61 and 13 per cent respectively. The standing of Canadian corporate counsel in the legal profession has also improved more in the last five years than for their global coun- terparts: 72 per cent said it has improved in Canada versus 62 per cent globally. The survey had 134 Canadian respondents, 49 per cent of whom were general counsel, chief legal officers, or equivalent, and the rest worked at other levels in the legal departments. Canadian trends were compared with those of nine other global jurisdictions. Full survey avail- able at http://tinyurl.com/survey-dt-corp-counsel. Canadian companies see their in-house lawyers as first responders to business legal issues 2006: 72 per cent Kenneth Bagshaw named Canadian general counsel of the year Kenneth Bagshaw, the retired chief legal officer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, has been named Canadian general counsel of the year. W. David Jamieson, executive vice president and corporate secretary at J. D. irving Ltd., won the lifetime achievement award. The aim of the annual Canadian General Counsel awards, organized by and zSa Legal recruitment, is to recognize excellence in the Canadian in-house counsel com- munity. Other winners by category were: in In-house lawyers getting salary boost in 2012 2011: 97 per cent The results of 's 2011 compensation sur- vey show 77 per cent of the 117 pariticipating legal department heads report plans to raise their lawyers' average salaries next year. The financial benefits for corporate counsel go well beyond salary levels, however. More than 96 per cent of respondents said their company provides benefits for its lawyers, and 75 per cent said they receive perks such as professional development and health club memberships. in addition, 78 per cent said some of their lawyers received a bonus in 2010. in terms of average legal spends budgeted for 2011, 36 per cent said their corporate legal department would come in under $500,000, 26 per cent said $500,000 to $1 million, 15 per cent said $1 million to $2 million, 14 per cent said $2 million to $5 million, and 10 per cent said over $5 million. The full findings of the survey are available in the July issue of 38 • AUGUST 2011 INHOUSE Year of call 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 and before Median $85,000 $81,865 $92,500 $101,646 $115,000 $103,292 $100,000 $121,022 $124,511 $150,000 Lowest $56,000 $70,000 $70,000 $80,000 $85,000 $80,700 $75,400 $75,000 $100,000 $85,000 litigation management, Margaret ross, general counsel of the Canadian Medical Protective association; in mid-market excellence, Barbara Snowdon, gener- al counsel and corporate secretary at Chorus aviation inc.; in tomorrow's lead- er category, Jody Becker, vice president and general counsel, EllisDon Group of Companies; in business achievement, Sharon Dowdall, vice president for spe- cial projects at Franco-Nevada Corp.; and in deal making, Peter Johnson, general counsel and corporate secretary at Shaw Communications inc. IN-HOUSE COUNSEL AVERAGE COMPENSATION NATIONAL (Sample size: 87) Highest $152,000 $120,000 $136,000 $175,000 $145,000 $140,000 $140,000 $175,000 $190,000 $385,000 The National Post Canadian Lawyer Canadian Lawyer .

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