Event Report

On 23 November 2016, around 70 of Canada’s leading GCs gathered together at the Toronto offices of McCarthy Tétrault to celebrate the launch of the GC Powerlist: Canada. The Legal 500’s selection of 100 leading in-house lawyers in Canada was based on an extensive list of nominations and was backed by an extensive three month period of independent research and interviews.

The GC Powerlist highlights the most influential and innovative corporate counsel in a leading markets around the world and the event was a good opportunity to reflect on the strength of the Canadian legal market and celebrate the achievement of the county’s standout corporate counsel. It also a rare chance for Canada’s in-house counsel to gather together in a single forum. As one GC commented after the event: ‘Given the nature of our role within corporations, we never get a chance to exchange ideas with our colleagues. This is a welcomed initiative from The Legal 500’.

GCs were present from leading Canadian and multinational companies such as: Boart Longyear, Hydromega Services, LG Electronics, Manulife, Mazda, Thales Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, Volkswagen and many more. The full list of GCs in the 2016 GC Powerlist: Canada can be seen here

After the welcome reception guests heard a panel debate featuring Powerlist nominees Fernando Garcia, GC of Nissan Canada, Mark Gosine, GC of DHX, and Peter Nguyen, GC of Resolver. They were joined by Stephen Rotstein, GC at the Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) and Chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (CCCA).

The panel gave their thoughts on the lessons they have drawn from their time in-house and offered advice on how to build a strong team. We were particularly excited to hear their thoughts on this subject as The Legal 500 will turn its attention to Canada’s leading legal teams in 2017. We look forward to receiving nominations and conduction research for our GC Powerlist: Canada Teams and welcome the opportunity to highlight the wider strength of the Canadian in-house market.

Our thanks to McCarthy Tétrault for supporting the GC Powerlist: Canada.

Scroll down to see photos from the evening.