Canada Teams 2019 – GC Powerlist
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Canada Teams 2019

  • Industries

  • Powerlist

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ACS Infrastructure Canada

| ACS Infrastructure Canada

ACS Infrastructure Canada is the Canadian division of the global energy construction and infrastructure engineering company that is highly experienced in handling public private partnerships and major projects around the...

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Aecon Group

| Aecon Group

The highly regarded legal team at Aecon Group is led by Yonni Fushman, executive vice president, chief legal officer and secretary, and is at the forefront of the infrastructure construction...

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Air Canada

| Air Canada

The in-house legal team at Air Canada, the national airline of Canada, is led by the international award-winning lawyer and chief legal officer David Shapiro, and combines the talents of...

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Alamos Gold

| Alamos Gold

Alamos Gold is a mid-tier Canadian gold producer with projects in Mexico, the US, Canada and Turkey, and is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. Nils Engelstad,...

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Alberta Energy Regulator

| Alberta Energy Regulator

The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) is the single regulatory agency for energy development in the province of Alberta, being responsible for ensuring regulation of the production, exploration and development of...

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Alcanna

| Alcanna

Formerly known as Liquor Stores, Alcanna is a major alcohol retailer in Alberta, British Columbia, Alaska, New Jersey and Kentucky. Matthew Hewson, vice president and general counsel, leads a legal...

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Alcon Canada

| Alcon Canada

Alcon Canada develops and markets over-the-counter drugs, highly-sophisticated surgical devices, and consumer eye care products, within the ophthalmological space and is currently owned by Novartis, a top-tier global pharmaceutical company....

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Aon Canada

| Aon Canada

As chief counsel, Shaun Miller manages the in-house legal team for Aon Canada, the Canadian operation of the major global insurer that offers insurance, reinsurance and pension products. Miller serves...

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ArcelorMittal Canada, Steel Business

| ArcelorMittal Canada, Steel Business

ArcelorMittal Canada’s legal team for steel strives to balance collaboration and cross-training to improve efficiencies and client service, while also developing individual team member subject-matter expertise for particular areas of...

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Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ)

| Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ)

The Association de la construction du Québec is a non-profit organisation representing practitioners in all construction trades in the institutional, commercial and industrial construction sectors across the province. It provides...

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ATB Financial

| ATB Financial

ATB Financial is an Albertan banking and financial services company with a reputation for technological innovation, as well as a strong emphasis on community. The bank’s legal team is led...

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Aurora Cannabis

| Aurora Cannabis

With a mind for growth and innovation, the Aurora Cannabis legal team has energetically been recruiting new team members to enhance legal services to the company. Senior legal counsel Travis...

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Bank of Montreal – Litigation and Dispute Resolution

| Bank of Montreal – Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Financials

With a focus on driving great customer experience and protecting the Bank of Montreal (BMO) brand, the BMO in-house legal team helps its clients understand the legal, regulatory and reputational...

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Barrick Gold Corporation

| Barrick Gold Corporation

General counsel Rich Haddock leads the in-house legal team of Barrick Gold Corporation with 45 lawyers globally, including eight based in Toronto. Barrick Gold maintains a small head office legal...

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Bell Canada

| Bell Canada

The in-house legal department at Bell Canada, the largest communications company in Canada and part of the BCE Corporation, is led by senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary...

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Bentall Kennedy

| Bentall Kennedy

The Bentall Kennedy in-house legal and compliance group is comprised of two compliance professionals, one law clerk and an executive assistant and is responsible for all legal and regulatory compliance...

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Bird Construction

| Bird Construction

The talented and committed in-house legal team at Bird Construction is led by Charles Caza, the company’s senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Caza leads the company’s risk...

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BlackBerry

| BlackBerry

Since 1984, BlackBerry has had a strong reputation for data security and privacy protection, and has recently refocused itself as a technical pioneer applying its data protection skill to the...

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Bombardier

| Bombardier

The in-house legal department at Bombardier is highly regarded for its technical ability, quantity of business generated and creativity in its legal acumen. Led by senior vice president and general...

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Boralex

| Boralex

Boralex develops, builds and operates renewable energy production sites in Canada, France, the UK and the US. It is a Canadian market leader in the onshore wind power industry, as...

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Bruce Power

| Bruce Power

Energy and utilities

Bruce Power is an Ontario-based limited partnership that operates the Bruce A and Bruce B nuclear generating facilities on the shores of Lake Huron, approximately 250 kilometres northwest of Toronto....

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CAE

| CAE

General counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary Mark Hounsell leads the CAE legal team that is composed of 15 lawyers worldwide, with six located at the company’s head office...

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Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

| Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Deborah R. Greenberg, chief legal officer and corporate secretary, leads the in-house legal team of approximately 40 lawyers at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), a government run organisation...

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Canada Pacific Railway

| Canada Pacific Railway

The in-house legal department at Canada Pacific Railway (CP), one of the largest railway companies in North America, is expertly led by chief legal officer and corporate secretary Jeffrey J....

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

| Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

Financials

CIBC – the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce – is one of the top five largest Canadian banks with an international scope and a commanding market presence both within Canada...

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Canadian National Railway Company

| Canadian National Railway Company

Canadian National Railway Company (CN) is a major player in the shipping and transport sector in Canada and the US, shipping freight over 20,000 route-miles of track between the Atlantic...

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Canadian Natural Resources

| Canadian Natural Resources

Canadian Natural Resources (CNRL) is a major oil and gas producer headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with assets ranging from oil sands production in Northern Alberta to offshore rigs near Africa...

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Canadian Solar Solutions

| Canadian Solar Solutions

The in-house legal team at Canadian Solar Solutions is highly experienced in the legal management of this rapidly growing and innovative company. It is adept at the application of the...

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Capital One Canada

| Capital One Canada

The Capital One Bank Canada legal team is led by Andrea Cotroneo, who is the bank’s chief legal officer and chief compliance officer, and also leads compliance and government relations...

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Capital Power Corporation

| Capital Power Corporation

Energy and utilities

Capital Power’s legal department provides legal services, guidance and expertise across Canada and the US, including evaluating Capital Power’s rights and obligations where material benefit or risk is involved, as...

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Cargojet

| Cargojet

Based in Mississauga, Cargojet is a leading air freight delivery service provider offering rapid overnight transit of 1.3 billion pounds of cargo on average every business night across North America...

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Cenovus Energy

| Cenovus Energy

Calgary-based Cenovus Energy has an expert in-house legal team of specialist practitioners in the oil and gas industry and is led by Al Reid, executive vice-president for stakeholder engagement, safety,...

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CGI Information Systems and Management Consultants

| CGI Information Systems and Management Consultants

Founded in Canada in 1976, information technology and business process services firm CGI Information Systems and Management Consultants has now become the country’s largest IT services provider. The company’s internal...

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CISCO Systems Canada

| CISCO Systems Canada

CISCO Systems Canada has an innovative and talented in-house legal team based in Toronto. The team takes the lead in legal matters around CISCO’s cross-Canada sales, negotiations with large service...

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Citibank Canada

| Citibank Canada

Financials

The Canadian franchise of Citigroup has roots in Canada dating back 100 years. In Canada, the global bank operates multiple entities including schedule II and schedule III banks that service...

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Coca-Cola Canada

| Coca-Cola Canada

Food, beverages and tobacco

As general counsel, executive vice president and corporate secretary, Scott Kirkpatrick leads the in-house legal team that handles all manner of legal issues for Coca-Cola’s operations in Canada as well...

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ConocoPhillips Canada

| ConocoPhillips Canada

ConocoPhillips Canada’s internal legal operations are managed by a highly respected team of lawyers, paralegals and security professionals led by general counsel and vice president of legal Stephen Lee. In...

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Corus Entertainment

| Corus Entertainment

As one of the largest entertainment companies in Canada, Corus Entertainment boasts one of the most talented in-house legal departments in the sector. Led by Dale Hancocks, executive vice president...

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D-Wave Systems

| D-Wave Systems

A leader in quantum computing technology, D-Wave Systems has its Canadian base in Vancouver, British Columbia, taking full advantage of the vibrant technology business scene in Vancouver. With a wealth...

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Empire

| Empire

The in-house legal team of Canadian conglomerate Empire is led by Doug Nathanson in his role of senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, and is comprised of top...

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Enbridge

| Enbridge

Led by executive vice president and chief legal officer Bob Rooney, Enbridge’s in-house legal team impresses through its expert provision of legal services covering the company’s considerable energy portfolio. The...

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George Weston

| George Weston

With its roots dating back to the 1880’s, The George Weston Company is a dominant player in Canada’s consumer products industry. It manages subsidiaries including two large-scale brands, Weston Foods...

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Geotab

| Geotab

Geotab is an innovative technology company that is a global leader in fleet management solutions, telematics and Internet of Things connected systems. Geotab’s technology allows fleet owners to manage vehicles...

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Great-West Lifeco

| Great-West Lifeco

The in-house legal team at Great-West Lifeco is led by executive vice president and general counsel Sharon Geraghty, and is made up of top professionals in the insurance legal market....

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H&R Block Canada

| H&R Block Canada

As corporate counsel, vice president of human resources and the chief privacy officer for H&R Block Canada (HRB), Angela Jackson leads the highly respected in-house legal function at the international...

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Home Depot of Canada

| Home Depot of Canada

As general counsel, Sarah Qadeer leads the legal department of Home Depot Canada which consists of two senior corporate counsel, a corporate counsel and a legal specialist. Supporting over 30,000...

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Husky Energy

| Husky Energy

The in-house legal team at Husky Energy has been led by senior vice president, general counsel and secretary James Girgulis QC since 2012, and has thrived under his leadership. The...

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IBM Canada

| IBM Canada

IBM Canada has an innovative and industry leading legal department responsible for the Canadian aspects of the international technology firm’s legal business. Some of its greatest achievements has been enabling...

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IGM Financial

| IGM Financial

The in-house legal team at IGM Financial is celebrated for its client focused business acumen as well as its thorough legal experience. Led by senior vice president and general counsel...

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Imperial Oil

| Imperial Oil

Canada’s largest refiner of oil, Imperial Oil, has a supremely talented and experienced in-house legal team led by highly regarded vice-president and general counsel Peter Dinnick. With a wealth of...

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Insight Productions

| Insight Productions

The legal team at Insight Productions is headed by general counsel Rahmiel Rothenberg, who oversees all business and legal affairs files for the company, including major strategic objectives and structuring...

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Invesco Canada

| Invesco Canada

Invesco Canada is a major investment bank and part of the global Invesco brand. Located in Toronto, its team of in-house lawyers is primarily responsible for delivering top quality advice...

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Jonas Software

| Jonas Software

Jonas Software is one of six operating groups of Constellation Software, a public company that trades on the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange. Each of the six divisions of...

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JTI Canada

| JTI Canada

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) produces many of the world’s best-known tobacco brands, and its Canadian operations date back to 1858. Led by Peter Ogden, head of legal for Canada, the...

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Just Energy

| Just Energy

The in-house legal team at Just Energy is led by executive vice president and general counsel Jonah Davids, and consists of top quality lawyers specialising in the financial, environmental and...

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Kiewit Canada

| Kiewit Canada

Assistant general counsel Stefan Gruszka leads the in-house legal team at Kiewit Canada that is comprised of five lawyers and two paralegals: Leo Caffaro, Stefan Gruszka, Laurie Hildebrand, Nick Peters,...

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LG Electronics Canada

| LG Electronics Canada

Since 1995 LG Electronics has become a global leader in electronics, IT and communication technology, and has a major presence in the country’s well established tech scene. In Canada, LG...

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Manitoba Hydro

| Manitoba Hydro

Manitoba Hydro provides electricity and gas services to communities throughout the province of Manitoba. Reporting to general counsel and corporate secretary Ken Tennenhouse, assistant general counsel and corporate secretary Patti...

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Manulife Canada

| Manulife Canada

The legal team of Manulife Canada is comprised of approximately 110 people, split more or less equally between lawyers, paralegals and other support staff. General counsel Canada, Martin Guest, leads...

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McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada

| McDonald's Restaurants of Canada

The legal operations of iconic global restaurant brand McDonald’s in Canada legal operations are managed by an expert in-house legal team adept at handling vast commercial and legal interests. The...

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Metro

| Metro

Metro is one of Canada’s largest pharmaceutical and food retail companies, with more than 600 food and 650 drugstores and pharmacies across Canada under a range of popular domestic brands....

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Morguard

| Morguard

The in-house legal team at Morguard, a preeminent real estate and financing conglomerate, has been expertly led by award winning in-house counsel, Beverley Flynn – the company’s senior vice president,...

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National Bank of Canada

| National Bank of Canada

Financials

The National Bank of Canada is one of the “Big Six” strategically important banks in Canada, and the most prominent bank in Montreal. Its legal department is made up of...

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Nestlé Canada

| Nestlé Canada

The in-house legal department of Nestlé Canada is led by senior vice president, general counsel and secretary Daniel Holden, and it is responsible for the management of the Canadian legal...

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Novacap

| Novacap

Novacap is a leading Canadian private equity fund with over C$2.25bn of assets under management and more than 25 investment platforms. In the last three years alone, the company’s legal...

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Nutrien

| Nutrien

The in-house legal team at Nutrien, the world’s largest provider of crop inputs and services, is led by executive vice president and chief legal officer Joseph Podwika. The team is...

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OMERS Private Equity

| OMERS Private Equity

The OMERS Private Equity legal team consists of managing director of legal Chantal Thibault, three directors, one associate and one legal assistant. One of the team’s directors, Stephanie Brady, is...

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Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan

| Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan

Chief legal and corporate affairs officer Jeff Davis oversees the legal team at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, an independent organisation that pays defined benefit pensions and invests plan assets on...

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Oxford Properties

| Oxford Properties

Oxford Properties is a leading global real estate owner, manager and developer. Its corporate legal team is based in Toronto and focuses primarily on transactional legal work, including highly complex...

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Packers Plus Energy Services

| Packers Plus Energy Services

Tracey Beaudoin, general counsel and corporate secretary, leads a small but highly effective team with two very senior lawyers and a seven year PQE lawyer, two support staff and one...

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Pan American Silver

| Pan American Silver

Pan American Silver is the world’s second largest primary silver producer, providing enhanced exposure to silver through a diversified portfolio of assets, large reserves and growing production. It owns and...

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Pfizer Canada

| Pfizer Canada

Global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has a major presence in Canada with a large manufacturing centre in Montreal, which responsible for producing some of Pfizer’s most well-known retail brands such as...

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Philip Morris International

| Philip Morris International

Manufacturing the Benson & Hedges, Belmont, Craven A, Rothmans, Canadian Classics, Number 7, Accord, Mark Ten, NEXT, Philip Morris and IQOS Heets brands of tobacco products, Philip Morris International (PMI)...

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Power Corporation of Canada

| Power Corporation of Canada

Energy and utilities

The Power Corporation of Canada is a Montreal headquartered multinational holding company with an impressive portfolio of activities in financial services, asset management, renewable energy and other sectors. This portfolio...

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Resolver

| Resolver

General counsel, corporate secretary and privacy officer Peter V. Nguyen leads the legal department at Resolver, and along with legal operations co-ordinator Margaret McKee, runs the internal legal team of...

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Restaurant Brands International

| Restaurant Brands International

Restaurant Brands International is a world leading fast-food restaurant management company and is the owner of the Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Burger King brands. The business portfolio encompasses over C$30bn...

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RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust

| RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust

Managing one of the largest real estate portfolios in Canada, RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (RioCan) has an expert in-house legal team led by senior vice president, general counsel and...

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Rogers Communications

| Rogers Communications

With a total revenue of C$144bn, Rogers Communications is a Canadian institution which has a dominant position as the nation’s largest wireless and cable TV provider. Its legal department is...

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Royal Bank of Canada

| Royal Bank of Canada

Financials

With a leading position as one of the largest banks in Canada, with 16 million global clients and an impressive international footprint, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) possesses a distinguished...

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Salesforce

| Salesforce

Salesforce is a San Francisco-headquartered cloud based customer relationship management (CRM) platform company, and has a large presence in the Canadian technology start-up scene in the Toronto-Waterloo corridor as well...

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Sandoz Canada

| Sandoz Canada

Executive director, legal affairs and general counsel Isabelle Robitaille, leads the legal team at Sandoz Canada, an innovative pharmaceutical company pioneering the medical cannabis industry in Canada. Including Robitaille, the...

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Scotiabank

| Scotiabank

Financials

Scotiabank’s in-house legal department is recognised for its legal and commercial acumen, as well as its disciplined monitoring of the bank’s interests and obligations across the globe. The team is...

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Shaw Communications

| Shaw Communications

The Shaw Communications legal team is responsible for all legal affairs, government relations corporate governance and regulatory matters for the company and is made up of industry leading in-house professionals...

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Shawcor

| Shawcor

Shawcor is a Canadian company that is celebrating its 50th anniversary on the Toronto Stock Exchange, and works in more than 25 countries around the world at any given time....

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Shell Canada

| Shell Canada

Vice president, general counsel and assistant secretary Gordon McCue leads a highly successful legal team at global energy company Shell in Canada, which is responsible for all legal elements of...

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Siemens

| Siemens

Siemens Canada, the Canadian arm of the global manufacturing giant, is a comprehensive operation with approximately 4,500 employees and annual revenue of C$2bn. All of Siemens’ global businesses have operations...

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Sprott

| Sprott

The in-house legal team at Sprott, a major Canadian asset management company specialising in gold, silver and other precious metal financing, is led by senior managing director, general counsel and...

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STEP Energy Services

| STEP Energy Services

The highly experienced in-house legal team at STEP Energy Services is comprised of three experienced counsel; general counsel Joshua Kane, senior legal counsel Tereza Fonda and US legal counsel Nicole...

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Suncor Energy

| Suncor Energy

Suncor Energy is a pioneering integrated energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, and was one of the first companies to operate in the Athabasca oil sands from 1967. With product...

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Teck Resources

| Teck Resources

At Teck Resources, Canada’s largest diversified mining company, Peter Rozee oversees a department of 11 lawyers spread across offices in Canada, the US, and Chile. He and his team are...

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TELUS

| TELUS

TELUS is the fastest growing telecommunications company in Canada, and has made a number of high profile investments in recent years, including investing over C$2bn in healthcare, C$8m in a...

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Thales

| Thales

The in-house legal team at Thales, a global technology, defence and infrastructure research and development company is led in Canada by Daniel Marion, vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary...

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Toronto District School Board

| Toronto District School Board

The award winning in-house legal team at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is led by Leola Pon, executive officer – legal, and consists of 11 lawyers and legal staff...

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Toronto Hydro

| Toronto Hydro

As the youngest senior executive and general counsel in Toronto Hydro’s history, Amanda Klein leads a team of nearly 40 lawyers and other professionals through the company’s most contentious cases,...

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Toronto Stock Exchange

| Toronto Stock Exchange

The experienced legal team at the Toronto Stock Exchange is led by managing director Julie Shin, an expert in corporate finance, securities law and corporate governance. She leads a team...

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Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD)

| Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD)

Financials

The in-house legal team at Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) is highly regarded within the market as a group of talented and creative team of expert lawyers with specialties in a number...

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Torstar Corporation

| Torstar Corporation

Torstar Corporation is the parent and management company of some of Canada’s biggest newspaper, print and digital media titles. Such titles include the Toronto Star, Canada’s most popular daily newspaper,...

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TransCanada PipeLines

| TransCanada PipeLines

TransCanada PipeLines is one of the largest natural gas and other energy pipeline companies in North America, operating 91,900km of pipeline from Alberta to the US Gulf Coast, and supplying...

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Turquoise Hill Resources

| Turquoise Hill Resources

Dustin Isaacs, vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, leads the highly skilled four member in-house legal team at Turquoise Hill Resources, a major Canadian headquartered international mining company. Turquoise...

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Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR)

| Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR)

The legal department at YVR is organised to function like a mini law firm, with lawyers and support staff focusing on different practice areas and supporting the organisation across all...

As the world’s second largest country by total area, Canada is a leader in the environmental and energy industries as well as in a whole range of industrial, commercial and professional services sectors. Over the last few years the country’s economy has experienced significant changes, such as those related to the global fall in the price of crude oil, which has hurt Canada’s energy sector. Politically, the potential effects of the US and China’s trade war as well as Canada’s own relationship with China and the potential renegotiation of NAFTA are all likely to signal further changes in the economy.

However, despite these concerns, the Canadian economy has proved resilient, as demonstrated by a 40 year low in unemployment, so it can therefore be seen as a time of both challenges and opportunities for the Canadian business sector generally.

The in-house legal industry in Canada has had to react to these challenges and their impact on the business world, forcing adaptation and innovation. In this regard, the Canadian in-house industry is one of the strongest in the world. In particular, in-house legal teams in the country have been active in harnessing the benefits of new legal technology and have increasingly taken a keen interest in environmental regulations and relations with First Nation communities.

This year we have the pleasure of highlighting the top 100 in-house legal teams in Canada, with each team being an outstanding example of innovation, technical ability, management and showcasing the most important and challenging work in the industry.

Peter Tweedley

Research Analyst

GC Powerlist series

McMillan LLP

McMillan LLP  logo

McMillan LLP is pleased to congratulate this year’s in-house counsel named in The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist: Canada Teams. This remarkable group of lawyers have earned recognition through their dedication to the success of their companies and profession, even as they navigate the choppy waters of an increasingly complex role. As a national business law firm, we have assisted general counsel with the many demands placed on them: legal advisor of course, but also operations manager, business strategist, procurement advisor, relationship manager, crisis counsellor, and budget “hawk”.

Across the range of companies and sectors, we hear the same concerns from general counsel: how to manage the uncertain risks of lengthy litigation, cybersecurity and other crises within a fixed budget. Effective counsel are increasingly looking to their external legal advisors to be more than just purveyors of legal advice; they need to be drivers of solutions that help the business. That means being attuned to the need for cost-effective, timely and business-specific solutions.

McMillan is acutely aware of the need to predict and manage legal spend. In our experience, the demand for alternative fee arrangements has shown double digit growth. Creative counsel have worked with us to manage the unpredictability of legal spend, for instance by negotiating a single price for managing all of a company’s litigation or structuring a discount/premium arrangement to control the costs of busted deals.

The exponential growth of new technology is creating new opportunities for innovation and mischief. Artificial intelligence and data analytics, while costly, are allowing companies and their advisors greater insight into the business. The sophistication and availability of legal operations products continues to grow, enabling legal teams to use data and analytics, apps and artificial intelligence to assign and manage work, and predict and prepare for future demand. However, new technology adds risk and security issues that continue to keep lawyers up at night. As a firm, we are investing in the same tools to address cybersecurity threats.

An ever-increasing area of in-house focus is managing the regulatory pressures that impact business strategy and overall results. Many
important business decisions need to be made in a context that includes public policy considerations, legal decision-makers and a wide variety of stakeholders. At our affiliated public policy shop, McMillan Vantage, we have seen the importance that good general counsel place on ensuring they bring all of these factors to bear as they advise their companies.

The hard-working counsel on this year’s list certainly aren’t resting on their laurels. McMillan looks forward to continuing to work closely with in-house counsel to drive efficiency, reduce risk, manage costs, and advance innovation in our profession.

GC Summit Hong Kong 2024

The Legal 500’s first-ever fully-fledged GC Summit event in Hong Kong brought together 150 of the top in-house counsel in the East Asian economic powerhouse’s legal scene. An uncompromised success, the agenda featured discussions which ran the full gamut of issues facing corporate counsel both here and further afield, recognising the international mindset of those in attendance.

Vanessa Cheung of PCCW kicked off the agenda with a rousing speech on the responsibilities and opportunities of a modern general counsel, setting the tone for the sessions which followed.

Maria Sit of Dechert, Andrew Ning of Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments, Henry Chambers of Alvarez & Marsal and Raymond Yip of BNY Mellon then took centre stage for their talk on internal investigations. This discussion saw a hugely distinguished panel take an elevated look at the then current best practice for internal investigations, providing crucial insights throughout.

Kathryn Weaver of Seyfarth Shaw then expertly helmed a panel discussion on DEIB matters, leading from the front with her unique, knowledgeable and engaging style. Shogo Osaka, of  FedEx Express, Eddie Chan of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Amin Kassam of Bloomberg and Winnie Ma of Lung Properties joined Kathryn on stage and each brought their own unique perspective as DEIB advocates in their organisations.

Quentin Pak and Emily Tillett of Burford Capital were then joined by Do Do Chan of Emperor Group, Paul Quinn of Kirkland & Ellis and Ben Bury of Gammon Construction to interrogate the new possibilities given to in-house legal teams by exploring third-party funding options. As well as revenue generation possibilities, methods for relaxing workloads on in-house legal teams were looked into, provoking many audience members to catch up with them in the coffee break afterwards.

We then moved on to the cybercrime arena, unfortunately an increasing worry for corporate counsel around the world. An expert panel was on hand to help ease the fears of those in the audience. Wilfred Ng and Danny Leung of Bird & Bird sat with Adrian See of Chanel and Daniel Shih of Pepsico to look into case studies, horror stories and mitigation efforts, as well as what new threats may be on the horizon.

Closing out the conference was Kay McArdle of Equal Justice, our official charity partner for the event. An organisation whose goal is to ensure legal representation for all in Hong Kong, not just the ‘haves’, McArdle expertly advocated for the goals of the organisation and the great work that they do. It was a poignant and fitting way to end the event.