About

Gisèle Sutherland appears to be justified when she describes her specialist employee benefits team as a ‘jewel’ within BMO, as she recently led it through an immensely challenging period, when its legacy employer M&I, a large but regional bank, was integrated into BMO – and its legal team into BMO’s. She explains the difficulty involved in the transition: ‘BMO Legal manages all legal issues, regardless of subject matter, for our assigned lines of business’, she says. ‘Hence, it is difficult to “define” ourselves solely as ERISA lawyers in this model. We need to handle any issue that comes in from our line of business. Further, although my team continues to address employee benefit issues for BMO Retirement Services and Trust & Custody Services, the BMO model is to tap the legal expertise regardless of where it resides. As a result, my team is now responsive to ERISA questions throughout the enterprise, assisting our global asset management and capital markets businesses and corporate HR team with all aspects of ERISA compliance’. Recognizing that her team is being pushed outside of their comfort zone, Sutherland says the professional development of each is a top priority for her. ‘We have regular, one-on-one discussions of their greatest strengths and where they might maximize their opportunities within the organization. It is too easy to focus on getting legal work done and lose sight of my greatest asset – my team. We treat one another respectfully and like partners in a law firm’. Jennifer Eller of Groom Law Group observes that Sutherland is ‘an exceptional leader, and her legal team works extremely well together to meet the needs of BMO’s growing business in a complex and dynamic regulatory environment’. Sutherland aims to replicate the model of excellent communication when dealing with outside counsel. She says: ‘across BMO Legal, we are focused heavily on value-based relationships. We are implementing alternative fee arrangements and really focusing on improved communications and relations’.