Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50881
CLOSING • A roundup of legal department news and trends Daniel Desjardins wins award Daniel Desjardins, senior vice president and general counsel at Bombardier Inc., was awarded the 2010 Robert V.A. Jones Award by the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association. The award, named in honour of CCCA's founding execu- tive director Robert Jones, "recog- nizes leaders in corporate counsel practice and those persons who have made exceptional contribu- tions to the development or pro- Highlights from the 'In-House Counsel Barometer' Area expertise is the most important consideration when selecting external coun- sel, according to the "2010 In-House Counsel Barometer," sponsored by the Ca- nadian Corporate Counsel Association and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, released at the CCCA spring conference in Montreal in April. In contrast, a law firm's billing rate, reputation, and consistency of performance are important considerations among fewer in-house members. The study was compiled by research firm Vision Critical through a survey of more than 625 Canadian in-house lawyers. It also found 95 per cent of respondents would recommend a career as in-house counsel and that counsel for public companies work longer hours than those at private companies. They cited better work-life bal- ance, the type of work, and integration in business decisions as reasons. But Vision Critical's chief research officer Andrew Grenville told conference at- tendees the study also highlights key challenges in-house lawyers face. For ex- ample, 62 per cent said they struggle to find time to keep up with changes in their practice area; 55 per cent spend more time managing clients than practising law; and 57 per cent said clients and colleagues often fail to seek their legal advice. Grenville says that suggests in-house counsel must better advocate for them- motion of the corporate counsel bar or community, including signifi- cant research or writing on related issues." As the leader of a global team of over 135 lawyers in 17 coun- tries, Desjardins has assumed a key role in the Canadian and glob- al worldwide corporate counsel community. He is a well-known and respected figure for his ongo- ing promotion of the profes- sion and for his ability to identify and raise discussion about the issues associated with it. In addi- tion to his work with Bombardier, Desjardins strives to better the corporate counsel community and tackle any issues it faces. In 2009, Desjardins served as co-chairman of the inaugural CCCA Corporate Counsel World Summit. Also look for him in the next as a member of issue of the panel for our annual general counsel roundtable. 50 • JUNE 2010 INHOUSE selves. "There's also something to have your value measured. It's probably not very common that people go to the CEO and say, 'I'd like to be evaluated.' But I think there's real opportunity in this to do so," he told the crowd at the conference. Here are the other key findings from the Barometer: • In-house counsel are loyal to their employers. On average, in-house counsel have worked seven years for their current employer. • Outsourcing legal work to outside counsel is a part of the job for nearly all (96 per cent) in-house counsel. There is a strong correlation between an or- ganization's size (in terms of reported annual revenue) and the propensity to outsource. • Providing value as in-house counsel is intrinsically tied to managing or reducing risk. A strong majority (85 per cent) cite risk management, followed distantly by ensuring regulatory compliance (46 per cent). Petro-Can lawyer joins U.K. firm Sean Rush, who for the last 10 years has held the position of legal manager for Petro- Canada's North West European business unit, has joined London, U.K.-based law firm Memery Crystal LLP as a partner. At Petro-Canada, Rush oversaw the legal function for a US$7-billion oil exploration and production business in the U.K., Dutch and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea, along with development opportunities in Russia. He also spent two years at Petro- Canada's head office in Calgary, undertaking oilsands developments, corporate financ- ing, and offshore projects. He will be playing a leading role in expanding Memery Crystal's already significant offering in the oil and gas sector. For weekly INHOUSE news and updates go to: www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse InHouse