About

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. It has an efficient legal team whose leadership sits in the Shawcor head office in Toronto, and the department has a truly global outlook with members located across three continents. The team has three contract managers, two of whom have law degrees, a law clerk, four lawyers and a contract lawyer. The most senior members of the team are Tim Hutzul, senior vice president, legal and general counsel – the first in the company’s history, and Darrell Ewert, who handles public company matters as corporate secretary. Hutzul and his team have faced a number of challenges over the last 24 months, including the length and intensity of the downturn in the oil and gas markets. On this, he says: ‘It was a tough recovery that forced all companies in our space to make difficult decisions. The legal department was not immune to the pressures of the downturn as we had to – like everyone else – deliver results with constrained resources’. The impact of the downturn was amplified by the political unrest and/or uncertainty in large parts of the world, which presents a multitude of challenges to a global company such as Shawcor, as well as its legal team. Another key challenge for the group was the building of a corporate team during a period of succession, as Hutzul explains: ‘We had a number of team members transition and we have brought in a number of new members to ensure the strength of the team for the long term and reduce dependence on any one individual. Darrell Ewert was instrumental in helping guide this process’. In addition to playing an active role in reducing contractual and litigation risk, the team played a key role in two major complicated international projects, helping the company deliver superior on time results for its clients in challenging conditions. Shawcor is a large, complex company that operates in many challenging environments blending a wide variety of experiences, perspectives and cultures, and Hutzul adds: ‘As an organisation we take pride in delivering superior results through the prudent use of resources. Every day is different and members of the legal department must be nimble, adaptable and flexible. Change management is at a premium and we joke among ourselves that change is the only constant. Some days it feels like “we walk without a tightrope”. It is not for everyone. But those of us who like it, tend to love it. High calibre work, with great clients and better co-workers’.