Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/1171384
Promoting diversity in legal departments You recently participated in Blakes' seminar on the challenges and opportunities facing in-house women lawyers of colour. What obstacles did you face in the early stages of your career in a white, male-dominated industry? There are certain things that women of colour have to deal with that will resonate with them all. When I started out in practice, people would assume I was a paralegal or a secretary instead of a lawyer. I also saw other people getting opportun- ities from people that look like them. I had to work a lot harder to get work from the same person because there wasn't that natural affinity. However, I have had some wonderful mentors who have taken me under their wing and helped me tremendously. What strategies have you used to overcome stereotypes and achieve success? Having a support network of family and Years in the industry: 24 Career highlight: Charting the course of Interac Corp.'s early days as a unified commercial entity Career lowlight: For a brief time, being on the defense team for a "bad actor" corporate client Kikelomo Lawal Chief legal officer and corporate secretary, Interac Corp. Q&A colleagues has been essential for me. I also pride myself on being a hard worker. Even if someone would be inclined to make assump- tions based on race or gender or ethnicity, when people see drive and a good work ethic, they respond to that. Being resilient is important too. What steps does the legal industry need to take to improve gender and racial diversity at the senior levels? First of all, we need acknowledgement and a broader recognition. Then we need to look at how we can identify biases and break down structural barriers and roadblocks. Have you seen an improvement in the awareness of diversity within corporations? Canadian law firms are on a better path now. People are speaking more about the issue and making a positive effort to change. Tools are being made available to law firms and law departments to really put a spotlight on it. What are the benefits to Interac or any large organisation of having diverse representation at the senior leadership levels? Seeing someone that looks like you in a more senior role does wonders. The visible manifestation makes it seem possible. There are also tremendous corporate benefits. People from different backgrounds bring diversity of thought and differing ways of solving problems. At Interac, we look at diversity of many factors including race, gender, age, work history, and socio-economic background. Do you have a mentoring program at Interac? I've had wonderful supporters and I believe in paying it forward, so I've been an informal mentor for years. At Interac, we are in the midst of launching a formal mentorship program as well. Surge in Canadian lawyers working from home, says survey In a survey conducted by legal staffing firm Robert Half Legal, around 74 per cent of Canadian lawyers said that more colleagues have worked remotely in the past year. The survey questioned 150 full-time Canadian lawyers at firms with at least 20 workers or in-house at com- panies with at least 1,000 employees. The survey found that work-life balance is one of the top reasons to remain with an employer. Working outside the office came above other perks such as re- duced hours, job sharing and non-part- nership-track positions. Dom Mannella joins CSE as listings manager The Canadian Securities Exchange has appointed Dom Mannella to the role of listings manager. Mannella is the point of contact for law firms and corporate legal departments to ensure that companies comply with trading rules and regulations for listing on the CSE. Mannella brings a wealth of experience from a range of law firms and companies involved in legal compliance. Will new U.S. trademark law cost Canadian lawyers? A new rule at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could cost Ontario lawyers money. The rule implemented Aug. 3 states a U.S. lawyer is required for all non-U.S. applicants or parties to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings. Under this legislation, Canadian lawyers will have to hire a U.S-based lawyer to act for their clients in the U.S. "I know some firms who will regularly work directly in the U.S. and it will affect them significantly in terms of cost," says Philip Lapin, a partner at Smart & Biggar Ottawa. NEWS BRIEFS 8 www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse NEWS ROUNDUP