| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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,...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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....
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| Bank of Montreal – Litigation and Dispute Resolution
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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| Bruce Power
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....
| 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...
| 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...
| 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....
| Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| Capital Power Corporation
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...
| 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...
| 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,...
| 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...
| 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...
| Citibank Canada
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...
| Coca-Cola Canada
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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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....
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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,...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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....
| 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,...
| National Bank of Canada
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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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)...
| Power Corporation of Canada
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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| Royal Bank of Canada
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...
| 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...
| 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...
| Scotiabank
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...
| 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...
| 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....
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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,...
| 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...
| Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD)
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...
| 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,...
| 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...
| 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...
| 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 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.