Canadian Lawyer InHouse

Canadian legal department he is respon- sible for all areas of law that impact the company in Canada. That means deal- ing with everything from drafting and reviewing dealership agreements, com- mercial agreements, freedom of informa- tion requests, and procurement matters such as responding to requests for propos- als, to commercial disputes and product litigation management. As the only in-house counsel in the department is limited to litigation files or specialized tax and customs matters. In those cases he tries to focus on the legal issues and then work with outside coun- sel. "For litigation, I take on a role of litiga- tion manager and make sure everything is heading in a strategic way that meets the company's needs and objectives," says Garcia. "We want to be sure there are no adverse impacts on other areas of The legal work he sends outside his our business arising from the stance we are taking, and obtaining the necessary litigation support internally to assist our external counsel in handling the matter. " Early years were challenging Garcia came to Canada from Uruguay with his family when he was nine years old. "Being new to one language is hard enough but trying to learn three languages was an obstacle big enough to turn me off school. I was not the best student. Even through my high school years I did a lot of moving around to different schools." He grew up in the Jane and Finch With more than 1,400 pages of essential legal references, Ontario Lawyer's Phone Book is your best connection to legal services in Ontario. Subscribers can depend on the credibility, accuracy and currency of this directory year after year. More detail and a wider scope of legal contact information for Ontario than any other source: More than 26,000 lawyers More than 9,000 law firms and corporate offices Fax and telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, office locations and postal codes Lists of: Federal and provincial judges Federal courts, including a section for federal government departments, boards and commissions Small claims courts Miscellaneous services for lawyers area of Toronto and his high school aver- age was in the low 60s but he loved the culture of his school. "My course grades weren't that great but I got to interact with students from so many different cultures and that was key learning for me. I had my own interests that allowed me to learn even when I didn't find the curriculum engaging. Ontario courts and services, including a section for provincial government ministries, boards and commissions Contact information that is current, up to date and easy to find: Alphabetical tabs on every page for quick reference Complete address information in every lawyer's listing Special binding that allows the directory to lay flat when opened and stay flat graduation and she inspired him to pur- sue higher learning. She wanted to be an engineer and he saw her working hard to achieve that goal. He took a labour studies course at McMaster University and started looking at law as an option. He joined the McMaster pre-law soci- ety and applied to a few law schools in the U.S. "It' Garcia met his wife Griselda after " experience when they send you docu- ments in which your parents have to put a second mortgage on your house in order to apply. It wasn't for me. s certainly an eye opening "Blue pages" to highlight government listings THIS SPECIAL OFFER EXPIRES DECEMBER 1, 2012 Early Bird Multiple Copy Discounts 1-9 copies ................. 10-49 copies ..... .... 100 or more copies On subscription or One time purchase Canadian Law List, a Thomson Reuters business Prices subject to change without notice, and to applicable taxes. Visit carswell.com or call 1.800.387.5164 for a 30-day no-risk evaluation CANADIAN LAW LIST 44 • OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 LPB_IH_Oct_12.indd 1 INHOUSE 12-08-29 10:11 AM He applied to the Master of Industrial Relations program at the University of Toronto and was accepted with an Ontario graduate scholarship. After obtaining the MIR he got a job working summers at Ontario Power Generation and worked with a range of lawyers and started think- ing about law again. Law school with business in mind Garcia applied and was accepted to McGill University's law school. He was a summer student and articled at Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP in Toronto where he worked with "some top notch lawyers and mentors." He was debating whether to continue his law career in a firm or go in-house "

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