Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/1336129
4 www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse NEWS ROUNDUP NATIONAL GC NETWORK NEWS BRIEFS Racialized general counsel launch new national group Priorities include bringing issues of equity, diversity and inclusion to the board Thirteen racialized general counsel have come together to launch the National GC Network, with a mandate to bring issues of equity, diversity and inclusion to the forefront of their organizations. The group has outlined a list of eight goals for 2021, which includes promoting Black, Indigenous and other racialized lawyers, providing continuing education opportunities and developing mentorship programs for people from diverse backgrounds. Julia Shin Doi, general counsel, secretary of the board of governors and university privacy officer at Ryerson University, spearheaded the launch of the group and is working closely with 12 other co-founders and steering committee members. "We felt it was important to build some solidarity and to create a forum where we can discuss issues of diversity and inclusion," says Shin Doi. The group's first initiative will be the development of a communication strategy for bringing issues of equity, diversity and inclusion to the board. "Because of the role that we have in senior management, we feel like we have an obligation both to the profession and to people of diverse backgrounds to help propel the movement forward," says Rustam Juma, general counsel and corporate secretary at Eckler Ltd., who is a co-founder and a member of the group's steering committee. Second on the list of priorities for the National GC Network will be providing continuing education opportunities for racialized lawyers, which will include inviting experts to speak at events. Torys LLP is providing sponsorship. In addition to Shin Doi and Juma, steering committee members are Naomi Andrew, associate vice president, fair practices and legal affairs at University of Manitoba; Catherine Chow, vice president, legal and general counsel at The Keg Restaurants; Bindu Cudjoe, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Canadian Western Bank; Peter Hong, chief strategy officer and general counsel at Auto Canada; Thomas Kim, CLO and company secretary at Thomson Reuters; Hubert Lai, university counsel at University of British Columbia; Hina Latif, general counsel and corporate secretary at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Canada Corp.; Kikelomo Lawal, executive vice president and CLO at CIBC; Peter Nguyen, senior vice president, legal associate at Descartes Systems Group; Leola Pon, general counsel, executive officer, legal at Toronto District School Board; and Hilda Wong, senior vice president, general counsel at First National. "We felt it was important to build some solidarity and to create a forum where we can discuss issues of diversity and inclusion." Julia Shin Doi WGCC unveils scholarship for Indigenous students Women General Counsel Canada has introduced a new annual scholarship for Indigenous law students. Indigenous, Metis or Inuit students enrolled in an LLB or JD program or in a four-year combined law degree program are eligible to apply. The first $2,000 award was presented in January. "We are excited to partner with the Indigenous community to further the goals of truth and reconciliation," says Elspeth Hagan, general counsel, global compliance at McCain Foods Limited and WGCC president. Indigenous women lawyers were among the judges. Data security training has declined: report Employee training in data protection measures has declined in many businesses this year, despite an increased risk of data breaches resulting from remote work, according to a report by Shred-it. Shred-it's 10th-anniversary-edition 2020 Data Protection Report also found that businesses — and legal departments in particular — still use vast quantities of paper, which signals a need for careful oversight of physical information and its protection. "In-house counsel should lead by example. Be an advocate for protecting confidential information," says Michael Borromeo, vice president, data protection at Stericycle, the provider of Shred-it information security solutions. ACC launches data steward program The Association of Corporate Counsel has launched a comprehensive data security