Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
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and stay within compliance, that's important," she says. For in-house counsel who are interested in pur- suing more business functions in their role, most organizations will allow you to take on what you want to take on, adds Robert Wasserman, former general counsel at Wal-Mart and now vice presi- dent of real estate facilities and services at Sears Canada. "I would encourage anybody who's in-house to start out with just having a hunger to learn as much about their business as they possibly can and to ask as many questions about it," he says. "Every business is looking to put in place bench- Anne Fitzgerald, Cineplex Entertainment strength for ultimate succession, so you can be on that list of people that they know, well you know, maybe someday this is what this man or woman can do, aside from being just in the legal role, so you're positioning yourself to be able to take that on," he adds. The mindset of continuous learning is absolutely critical to positioning yourself to make the move, adds Wasserman. An evolutionary approach may be best, he says, in terms of having experiences within your law portfolio as you go, get in- volved with a particular project, and take on more of a business role to demonstrate that you have those skills. "I find that lawyers have a real advantage because they can see issues from so many dif- ferent directions," he says. Lawyers also tend to have the patience to be very thorough and to make sure they understand everything before acting. "I've always found that that way of viewing things has helped me so that I have a predispo- sition to be looking for things that are round- ed not just as they're attendant to a particular transaction but how they might have implica- tions for the business as a whole," he says. "I think that's a huge skill that lawyers have, and I've found it invaluable." Consider further education, including an executive MBA or financial qualifications Wasserman took a slightly different approach, in that he even- tually transferred out of his legal role to work in the business side of the company while completing his executive MBA. "As time evolved, I found that that hunger for getting even further involved in the business just re-magnified as I got used Pointing you in the right direction Rely on Aird & Berlis LLP for guidance. We have the depth and strength of Canada's largest firms, yet we also possess the creativity and effectiveness of a mid-size firm. A&B is a prominent law firm of more than 120 lawyers with a diversified practice. Clients benefit from our solid relationships with renowned national and international law firms, major institutions and government authorities. We understand the realities of your work. Count on us to keep your business on course. Partnership. Results. Success. For more information, please contact Eldon Bennett, Managing Partner E ebennett@airdberlis.com T 416.865.7704 Brookfield Place, 181 Bay Street, Suite 1800 Untitled-4 1 Toronto, ON M5J 2T9 T 416.863.1500 F 416.863.1515 W www.airdberlis.com C ANADIAN Lawyer INHOUSE A UGUST 2008 9 6/18/08 12:18:33 PM