Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50888
outside of the legal department, or move over completely to another department and leave the law behind." One of the side benefits of work- ing within a corporate law department for a company that has to deal with environmental compliance can be an ideal opportunity to effect change, says Morton. Alex Shorten, senior vice president and general counsel at Imperial Parking Corp. based in Vancouver, has two lawyers within his legal department, but mentors law students through the Canadian Bar Association's B.C. chap- ter with the sole purpose of encourag- ing them to pursue a career as corpo- rate counsel. "Legal departments are always in competition with law firms for the best talent," says Shorten. "But a lot of very sophisticated legal work is done in-house and you need to have the best people doing it." Shorten admits particularly dur- ing the recession of 2009, many law departments weren't able to hire young lawyers due to budgetary constraints. "There has been a curb on hiring and any expansion for bonus programs and other costs." His legal team at Impark has been extremely busy with a volume of matters that surfaced during the recession. He says the economic crunch has deterred looked at very carefully, just as they're looked at in other departments. There's been a curb on hiring and any expan- sion for bonus programs and other costs, which means corporate lawyers are very busy." He says, however, any law depart- ments vying to recruit young talent Legal departments are always in competition with law fi rms for the best talent. But a lot of very sophisticated legal work is done in-house and you need to have the best people doing it. ALEX SHORTEN, Imperial Parking Corp. many companies, including his, to hire additional staff. "A lot of law depart- ments have had to undergo an analysis of their costs," he notes. "Budgets are should be able to provide them with a concrete corporate vision illustrating the company's prospects and oppor- tunities for the candidate's career Barristers & Solicitors Excellence in Employment & Labour Lawur Law c i t o r s • Counsel in Leading Cases • Author of Leading Textng Text • Wrongful Dismissal Employment Class Actions Labour Relations Employment Law Human Rights Post Employment Competition Civil Litigation Appellate Advocacy Employment Standards Disability 82 Scollard Street, Toronto, Canada, M5R 1G2 Phone: (416) 921-7997 Fax: (416) 921-3662 web: www.staceyball.com BallAlexander_IH_Apr_10.indd 1 40 • APRIL 2010 INHOUSE www.kenalexander.ca 3/11/10 4:03:35 PM Ball & Alexander