Canadian Lawyer InHouse

JANUARY 2016 22 INHOUSE Q Q Q Q What are your main projects for 2016? Belron is a leader in automotive glass repair, replacement, and distribution. We oper- ate around the world and the head offi ce is based in the United Kingdom. The offi ce in Canada is based in Montreal where we have two lawyers and a paralegal, and there are more than 30 lawyers servicing the com- pany globally. An area of priority for us in 2016 involves technologies brought forward by vehicle manufacturers that are having a big impact on our business. We're seeing massive changes in the au- tomotive industry with the arrival of new technology features for cars including Ad- vanced Driver Assistance Systems and self- driving vehicles. All of these features added on to the car will have a huge impact on how we will be fi tting windshields into vehicles. We need to understand how all this technol- ogy works so that what we do in relation to doing work on vehicles with those advance- ments in automotive technology is up to best practices and standards. From the legal team's perspective, we need to understand the science behind the products and technologies and where the liabilities and risks are to help the business manage that area. We're also currently investing in new technology to allow us to reach consumers and business partners in a more agile fash- ion. We're getting into software as a service and platform as a service — to allow business partners and consumers to reach us easily and that entails a lot of legal ramifi cations. Is cybersecurity on your list of concerns for 2016? Cybersecurity is top of mind. Because we require lawyers to be very business orient- ed, we expect the legal department to be at the forefront of these issues. Sometimes, we will facilitate consumer contact with their insurance company when they are replacing their windshields, so we need to be aware of where the data is being hosted and managed. Any company in the retail sector needs to be savvy about what is personal data and what is data you want to protect and how you want to manage your IT systems. We're very confi dent that the new plat- forms we've put in place are well protected. How do you manage external counsel? We're an organization that builds on long- term relationships with our external coun- sel. We like to work with people who know our business and are willing to invest in the relationship with us. We have a primary law fi rm, and having those lawyers who know your business really saves you time in terms of external management. We do have sever- al relationships with several law fi rms across the country and favour those who have the expertise we are looking for. They are very proactive and communicative relationships. Being a smaller department we often need advice quite rapidly. On the other hand, we are also an organi- zation that, depending on the situation, we will go to the best fi rm for their expertise. If we are looking at pension issues, we will have pension counsel from Toronto or cyber law experts in Montreal, or, for insurance matters, we may go somewhere else. We also have local experts to help us understand the legal ramifi cations in the provinces for various issues. We do strive for long-term relationships with our external fi rms. What's your approach to managing your legal team in-house? We went from having a mid-size depart- ment of about six lawyers a few years ago to a smaller department because special projects had been completed. Depending on growth, it may evolve. Our legal department is com- posed of senior lawyers for the most part be- cause we are quite lean and we need people with a certain level of experience. Three years ago, there were six lawyers in-house in Canada because the company was going through a massive growth phase, doing a lot of acquisitions — we acquired 70 companies in 31 months, which added to the Canadian portfolio. In terms of management of the depart- ment, we are a very people-oriented culture. Managers are rated on a yearly basis on the climate we create for our team. We are also measured on whether we are visionary and whether we are good at coaching. We really build on leadership develop- ment and making sure they are able to adapt to the different internal clients we have. There is a lot of time invested not just on technical skills but leadership skills. I think this goes with the philosophy that we're a business and whether you're a lawyer, engi- neer, fi nance person, or accountant working in the company, you are primarily a contrib- utor to the business. IH Q PIERRE CHARBONNEAU Belron is a leader in automotive glass repair, Genevieve Richard Senior corporate counsel, Belron Canada Years as GC: 7 Department: 2 lawyers and one paralegal

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