w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m M a r c h 2 0 1 4 25
Assessing
ground
in general, in-house departments are
growing but working in the canadian office
of a foreign-owned enterprise is not always
smooth sailing.
by Jennifer brown
ou may not hear it very often, mostly
because it's just not good PR for the
in-house bar, but despite data that
points to fairly consistent growth in
corporate legal departments, not all
global or U.S.-based companies are
wholly behind the idea that existing
legal departments in Canada should
remain status quo.
During the holiday party circuit
last December, it became apparent
a number of in-house counsel were
seeking new opportunities due to
their U.S. or multi-national parents deciding to fold some aspect
of their Canadian legal operations. In this uncertain economy, it's
also not always a given when an in-house counsel leaves a position
it will be immediately filled. In some cases, in-house counsel say
when they have left a position working for a U.S.-based operation,
the company has reassessed what it would cost to have services
provided externally versus re-hiring internally. "As the business
goes, so does legal," says Av Maharaj, vice president and chief
counsel of Canadian and international operations with Kellogg
Co. in Mississauga, Ont.
boots on tHe
Y
