Canadian Lawyer InHouse

45 CANADIANLAWYERMAG.COM/INHOUSE MAY 2017 P r o f e s s i o n a l P r o f i l e County Board of Education, which in 1998 amalgamated with the Niagara South Board of Education to become the District School Board of Niagara. Stokes Verworn says the appeal of in- house is providing solutions and expertise to others seeking to make important deci- sions for an organization. "You have someone who understands the heartbeat of your organization," she says. "They not only know the people and familiarity of processes. I know enough about what's going on to know what is go- ing to fl y and what's not going to fl y here, as well as what some of the obstacles will be to what would normally be seen as a legal remedy you could implement." "I think more and more organizations are realizing that there are a lot of regula- tions and laws and they need someone who can proactively make sure they are in com- pliance," she says. "The idea is you don't want to be in- volved in litigation — you want to avoid it in the fi rst place. When I think back, we've been able to avoid a lot of litigation. It doesn't mean we haven't had some substan- tive cases, but I would say there are a lot of ones we were able to avoid — proactively we had taken the right steps." "For example, in our student discipline matters — you can have three or four cas- es a month and, for the size of our board, we're probably one of the only ones who hasn't had to go to the Children and Fam- ily review board. We have in-house people making sure the right procedures are being followed. There's also the opportunity to engage with the parents — not everything has to be acrimonious," she says. Refl ecting on her time in-house, usually as a solo counsel, Stokes Verworn says it was often "overwhelming" and, contrary to the myths, not conducive to work/life balance. "It was also a bit lonely at times," she says. "Unlike in a law fi rm, I did not have other colleagues to share ideas with." To combat the loneliness and absence of legal colleagues to run ideas by, she sought out opportunities to collaborate with other lawyers. She formed the INC group in Niagara — In-House Niagara Corporate Counsel — that existed for several years and was a collegial group of lawyers from the public and private business sector. "I always hoped my presence as a lawyer around the senior table and the boardroom gave the board the benefi t of what I like to call situational and contextual awareness. As in-house counsel, I know the people, the process, the operational procedures and policies and that familiarity aids both in the response time and in the proposed problem solving," she says. The board has already chosen someone to succeed Stokes Verworn — Jennifer Feren was legal counsel with the Regional Municipality of Niagara. "She'll do a great job; I have great confi - dence in her," Stokes Verworn says. "When you're passing the baton, it makes you feel a bit better about leaving." IH 82 Scollard Street, Toronto, Canada, M5R 1G2 Contact Stacey Ball at (416) 921-7997 ext. 225 or srball@82scollard.com web: www.staceyball.com Ball Professional Corporation Excellence in Employment & Labour Law • Counsel in Leading Cases • • Author of Leading Treatise • Wrongful Dismissal Employment Law Human Rights Post Employment Competition Civil Litigation Appellate Advocacy Disability Referrals on behalf of employees and employers respected Ball_CL_Mar_12.indd 1 12-03-13 2:27 PM Order # 804218-65203 $4 2 volume looseleaf supplemented book Anticipated upkeep cost – $ per supplement 4-6 supplements per year Supplements invoiced separately 0-88804-218-3 Shipping and handling are extra. Price(s) subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes. Canadian Employment Law Stacey Reginald Ball More than 7,000 cases cited Canadian Employment Law is a one-stop reference that provides a thorough survey of the law and analysis of developing trends, suggesting potential avenues of attack as well as identifying potential weaknesses in the law. Canadian Employment Law has been cited by the Supreme Court of Canada, in superior courts in every province in Canada, and is used in law schools throughout Canada. Available risk-free for 30 days Order online: www.carswell.com Call Toll-Free: 1-800-387-5164 In Toronto: 416-609-3800 Also available online on WestlawNext® Canada EmploymentSource™ © 2016 Thomson Reuters Canada Limited 00234UC-84746-CE

• Cover