Lexpert Magazine

March/April 2018

Lexpert magazine features articles and columns on developments in legal practice management, deals and lawsuits of interest in Canada, the law and business issues of interest to legal professionals and businesses that purchase legal services.

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58 LEXPERT MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2018 | IN-HOUSE ADVISOR: SOLO IN-HOUSE COUNSEL | house lawyer and we still don't," Sidhu says. "I still remember that first day. e [former] CFO handed me the keys to my office, gave me a corporate credit card and literally said, 'Good luck starting the new legal department.' "My first week, I was lost," she recalls. "I was trying to understand the dynamics of what was, for me, a new and unknown business, while initiating the legal compo- nents. Most of the business people were not accustomed to 'running things by legal,' so, for starters, I had to get people to notice me and let them know that I was serious and here to stay. Now, not an hour goes by when I don't have someone outside my of- fice asking me to check documents before they sign." Robert Soccio is solo General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Compliance Of- ficer and HR Director for the Canadian subsidiary of Chicago-based diesel truck manufacturer Navistar. Hired away from the securities group at a major national law firm, Soccio says the transition to in-house work, especially a solo role, should not be underestimated. "It's a major change, and it's a really personal decision," he says. He's emphatic that it's not a way to simplify one's life or escape the all-hours grind of Big Law. As opposed to working at a law firm, there's no such thing as relying on a single area of specialization. "When you're the only lawyer and people are looking to you for answers, you have to have a broad understanding of the law — and depth in some areas. e GC role is all-encompass- ing. You're the go-to guy and your time is in demand. You really have to be accessible." Megan Vesely was recruited from an as- sociate's role in the San Francisco securities group of DLA Piper to become solo Gen- eral Counsel for Sigma Analysis & Man- agement Ltd., a Toronto-based specialist in risk analytics for institutional investors. "My first day, we had a securities issue to deal with — nothing specifically to do with Sigma — but I really had to hit the ground running," she recalls. "It was a fast and fu- rious experience and there was no time to worry about fitting in." She was Sigma's first in-house lawyer, but she says the aca- demic and collegial culture of the company meant that "I certainly wasn't viewed as a three-eyed monster." Outside, looking in Chris Burr practised at Blake, Cassels and Graydon LLP in Toronto before leaving briefly to become general counsel for a start- up venture capital company. Now back at Blakes, he's a partner in restructuring and insolvency, whose role also includes advis- ing client companies when they decide it's time to develop internal legal capabilities. Burr says that, for a growing company, the rising cost of outside legal services is almost invariably a motivator in the de- cision to hire an in-house lawyer. As the HARPREET SIDHU PETHEALTH INC. When I first started at Pethealth, we had no other in-house lawyer and we still don't. … My first week, I was lost. I was trying to understand the dynamics of what was, for me, a new and unknown business, while initiating the legal components. ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID SENIOR

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