43
CANADIANLAWYERMAG.COM/INHOUSE MAY 2017
BRENDA STOKES VERWORN left pri-
vate practice to go in-house many years be-
fore doing so became a popular path for law-
yers looking for a different way to apply their
legal skills. After several years in the law fi rm
environment, she discovered the appeal of
providing legal advice in-house in the public
sector at the level of local government.
Now, after more than 30 years in-house
and the majority of that time with the District
School Board of Niagara, she is refl ecting on
her career as she nears retirement.
Her role has evolved over time, often
affected by board decisions, ministry
initiatives and legislative changes.
The Niagara school board is a huge
corporation with a jurisdiction that extends
across 12 municipalities serving more than
36,000 students and encompasses more than
100 schools and other satellite facilities.
It is the largest employer for the region
employing just less than 4,000 staff with an
annual budget of $440 million.
"Our school board enrolment and
staffi ng is bigger than the population of
some communities," she says.
To the best of her knowledge, Stokes
Verworn is likely the longest-serving in-
house legal counsel to a school board in the
province of Ontario. In fulfi lling that role,
she has attended thousands of board and
committee
meetings over her 26 years —
many of them outside the normal workday
— contrary to the "work-life-balance" that
so many often equate with going in-house.
It was the culture of life-long learning
that she found appealing about the education
sector. "I was learning new things all the
time and I liked that. From a professional
growth perspective, my job duties evolved
with new projects, protocols, legislation
and labour relations issues — it never felt
stagnant," she says.
Stokes Verworn worked with community
P r o f e s s i o n a l P r o f i l e
BY JENNIFER BROWN
School board
confi dential
Brenda Stokes Verworn's career involved
a series of fi rsts including being the fi rst
woman lawyer in Welland, Ont.
CHARLES
VERWORN
DESIGN
