Canadian Lawyer InHouse

HOW DO YOU APPROACH MANAGING EXTERNAL COUNSEL? I think the realization I've come to is that with 20 lawyers in our department we're like a small firm operating without the support that small firms buy themselves. I think there needs to be a market change with respect to how external firms work — we have to get the market to accommodate our needs. We have alternative arrangements for our bulk work. We have an arrangement with respect to our intellectual property work and our Ontario real estate work, then beyond that there isn't a lot of work that is routine enough to send it out. leanne geale associate general counsel, shell heavy oil canada CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE RELATIONSHIP THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT AT SHELL HAS WITH THE BUSINESS UNITS? I n Shell Canada there are approximately 40 lawyers and 20 support staff — almost all of whom are located in Calgary. We support the full spectrum of Shell businesses in Canada. We follow the whole life cycle of a hydrocarbon — everything from traditional oil and gas exploration and mining through to refi ning of fi nished products you would put in your gas tank at a retail station along with chemical production and different forms of hydrocarbons such as LNG and natural gas. This team supports all of those businesses in Canada as well as the legal work associated with running a large organization like Shell Canada, such as corporate and compliance and other matters that arise. We're fortunate at Shell that the business does appreciate the value legal counsel adds and it's been that way for quite a long time. It's become a complete partnership at all levels of the business. We have a legal director at the seat of the table at the highest echelons in Royal Dutch Shell overseas and that trickles through to all of our operating companies. I sit with our executive team here in Canada both for our heavy oil business and class businesses. At different levels of the organization in Canada we have lawyers who are seen not only in their legal capacity but as a contributor to the leadership team, so whether that be on a particular project or business unit or on a committee with a joint venture. We're really looked to to contribute our legal knowledge but also our commercial astuteness because we pride ourselves in really understanding the business we support and adding that value as well. HOW IS THE BUSINESS GROWING NEXT YEAR AND HOW WILL THAT IMPACT THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT? We have some exciting challenges heading our way for 2014. One of them is our Carmon Creek project announced Nov. 1. It is a development project in the oil sands area and we're working hard to support that team. That includes everything from contracting and procurement to project agreements to assisting on HR processes to get the organization in place — everything you would imagine around an organization and a project of that size which will be approximately 80,000 barrels a day. Another very exciting project is our LNG project on the West Coast which is in early days but there is a lot of effort going into the legal agreements in terms of pipelines and construction, the technology we will use, and working with the local stakeholders and working with the regulator process. Another project that will really take hold in 2014 is working on market access — ensuring that our products have a place to go and to the extent we can support our business colleagues in ensuring we can fi nd a home for our product. There is also the Quest Carbon Capture and Storage Project — one of the first of its kind in the world with oilsands development. It will reduce CO2 emissions from Shell's oilsands operations by more than one million tonnes a year by capturing CO2 from its Scotford upgrader and permanently storing it deep underground. canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse February 2014 25

• Cover