Canadian Lawyer InHouse

Feb/Mar 2012

Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives

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so it's responsible for any teams that compete in international competitions, from the Olympics to world champion- ships. The Canadian Hockey League is a member, although Hockey Canada does not oversee it. As part of his role, Bruni works closely with Hockey Canada's president and chief executive officer, Bob Nicholson, who is Canada's face of hockey. Nicholson runs the not-for-profit organization, which has in excess of 100 employees and a budget in the millions of dollars. When Bruni took on the role of chairman, he coined the phrase, "stay- ing relevant with the courage to change," which has become his mandate at Hockey Canada. Change is not easy for a lot of people, he says. "I'm looking at change in the game — change in head hits, in violence. It is a learning experience on change management." Ultimately, his vision is about doing SPECIALIZATION IN BUSINESS LAW Classes Starting in September 2012 Part-time, Executive LLM program for corporate counsel and practising lawyers Information Sessions • Tuesday, February 14th from 8:00 to 9:30 am • Thursday, February 16th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm Monday, January 16, 2012, 5:30 - 7:00 pm Friday, January 20, 2012, 8:00 - 9:30 am U of T Faculty of Law, Faculty Lounge 78 Queen's Park, Toronto No registration required. Please feel free to drop in anytime during these hours. Taught by U of T Faculty of Law professors, together with top international faculty from INSEAD Business School, NYU School of Law, and Rotman School of Management. • Tuesday, March 6th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm • Friday, March 9th from 8:00 to 9:30 am what's best for kids, about creating the most opportunities for them. One issue, which has been making headlines in the mainstream media for some time now, is conduct on and off the ice. In his address to board members when he took on his new role, Bruni wrote: "My constant message will be very suc- cinct and clear. Hockey Canada stands for no fighting and zero tolerance for violence in the game." This means no head hits, regardless of the intent, and no to any grey areas. "The tipping point has arrived and pushed us to a crisis with concussions and injuries in the game. We have the ability and, quite frankly, the obligation to engage attitu- dinal change." Bruni says he's also working toward a much better governance structure. "I oversee a board of 37 people, which is too large and we're working on reducing that," he says. What Bruni brings to Hockey Canada For more information, call 416-978-1400 or visit: http://www.law.utoronto.ca/programs/GPLLM.html TIME: EVENT: Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) - Ontario Chapter and in partnership with Carswell, a Thomson Reuters business. GLLM_IH_Feb_12.indd 1 36 • FEBRUARY 2012 INHOUSE is not only his legal background, but also a technical background, and he believes the two combined skill sets allow him to bring something different to the table. Before he became a lawyer, Bruni was an engineer with a geologi- cal sciences degree earned at Queen's University in 1974, and experience as a geological engineer for various compa- nies, including Falconbridge Ltd., Getty Mining International Inc., and the Nova Scotia Department of Mines. He then studied law at Dalhousie University, where he met his wife Janice. "She's the real lawyer in the family," he jokes. "She got me through law school." They got married, moved to Calgary, and had four children — two of whom are cur- rently attending law school. When he talks about his wife, it's clear he values her advice and "unbelievable" support throughout the years. At the start of his law career, Bruni articled for Atkinson McMahon (now Field LLP) in Calgary, and in 1978 was called to the bar in Alberta. When a position came up with the Energy Resources Conservation Board in 1980, he saw an opportunity to use not only his legal background but also his engineering experience, and get into 12-01-16 9:28 AM

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