About

A highly experienced professional in Canada’s in-house legal community, James McLandress operates as the sole and first lawyer at Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA). His achievements in this role are diverse and include fostering key relationships, introducing more robust and rigorous contract and legal risk management processes, and extensive labour relations work. WAA has undergone significant change in the way it plans to move forward. While the traditional approach was more risk averse, now the legal department is actively involved in advising the company on how best to capitalise on the opportunities presented. Prior to joining WAA in 2014, McLandress was general counsel at the Canadian Wheat Board where he worked on several very big cases, such as fights at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and fights against the Canadian Federal Government, as well as overseeing important individual deals. ‘Working on deals and cases like that is both fun and satisfying and you learn a lot. The big thing to me is the ability to work with people and achieve things. It isn’t about looking glamorous; it’s about getting the job done’, he explains. McLandress feels there is a common perception of lawyers as simply a “roadblock” and he has dedicated his entire career to combating this view. Apart from his legal work, McLandress is known for his involvement in a variety of non-profit organisations, such as the Institute of Corporate Directors, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, St. Mary’s Academy, and the Law Society of Manitoba. In addition to his role at Winnipeg Airports Authority, McLandress also teaches employment law at the University of Manitoba, where he previously studied.