Canadian Lawyer InHouse

By Ken Fredeen Celebrating excellence Executive support critical factor in the success of these general counsel. W hat and who makes a great general coun- sel? In my opinion Canadian the best in an increasingly globalized marketplace, and a recent awards din- ner recognized the great talent we have in this country. As I listened to the descriptions of counsel are some of tance more experienced general coun- sel played in the development of their careers, the winners of the General Counsel Awards June 11 in Toronto, sponsored by ZSA Legal Recruitment and the National Post, I realized it provided a wonderful view into the attributes of a great general counsel and some themes emerged. All winners spoke to the impor- models. It was not just the guidance they received, but also the creation of opportunities for career growth. as both mentors and role Importance of teams Time and again award recipients spoke of worked with played in their success. In a number of cases, the nominations revealed that support came from team members who spoke genuinely and passionately about their leader. It was clear the general counsel had created an inclusive, motivated, and engaged law department. the importance the teams they Social responsibility There is growing awareness among chief legal officers that social respon- sibility is important and a part of why they are successful and respected. One general has to look no further than the Lifetime Achievement and General Counsel of the Year winners, Douglas Stollery of PCL Constructors Inc. and Melissa Kennedy of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, for what they do to promote diver- sity, pro bono/volunteer work, and com- respected, and fully utilized general counsel will add immense value and make the organization better. For a chief legal officer to be suc- cessful in her or his role, senior lead- ership support and recognition of the role is critical. Each winner at the Time and again award recipients spoke of the importance the teams they worked with played in their success. munity involvement. This marks their leadership and indicates career balance — they are indeed role models. I believe success as a general counsel needs to have social responsibility as a compo- nent. Social responsibility is something I have embraced at Deloitte and we were fortunate to be recognized at the awards dinner with the social responsibility award, which goes to an organization that demonstrates a commitment to pro bono or diversity initiatives. It is recog- nition of a lot of work done by a group of people at Deloitte and we are proud of what has developed. Senior leadership support and partnership This is one of those chicken and egg questions. Is a great general counsel the product of a strong senior leadership team, or does a strong general coun- sel earn the support and recognition from an organization's leadership? It is probably more the latter but I am not sure that it matters. An organization's leadership will recognize that a strong, 38 • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.CANADIANLAWYERMAG.COM/INHOUSE General Counsel Awards dinner spoke to the importance of the support that the senior leadership gave to him or her. Both Melissa and Doug receive strong and visible support from their respective chief executive officers. They were not alone. It was a com- mon theme. In fact, in the future, maybe eligibility should require writ- ten and visible senior leadership sup- port. In conclusion, the Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Doug Stollery, is the best example of what is not only a great Canadian general counsel, but a global leader in the legal community. If you aspire to be a top general counsel, look no further than to Doug's CV. Good luck trying to accomplish what he has done, but you will succeed in trying. Well done Doug, and congratulations on an outstanding career. Your colleagues are proud of you. IH Ken Fredeen is general counsel with Deloitte & Touche LLP in Toronto. He can be reached at kfredeen@deloitte.ca. INHOUSE

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