Canadian Corporate Counsel Association BC
Submitted by Section Co-Secretary, Patricia Thiel
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 8
October 22, 2013
Guest Speakers: Casey L. Leggett and David J. Martin, Martin + Associates
Meeting Title/Topic: Current Developments in Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions Under the Corruption Of Foreign Public Officials Act
Synopsis: Casey Leggett and David Martin gave an excellent talk on current developments in Foreign Corruption Law in Canada and took questions from the members in attendance.
November 26, 2013
Guest Speakers: Moderator: Alex Shorten, former GC of Weyerhaeuser and Imperial Parking
Panel: Heather Northrup, Director, Legal Services, VanCity Andrew Nathanson, Fasken Martineau, and Krista Johanson, BLG
Meeting Title/Topic: The New Code Of Conduct – Views From an In-House Counsel Perspective
Synopsis: A panel which included Heather Northrup, Director of Legal Services of Vancity, Krista Johanson of BLG, and Andrew Nathanson of Fasken Martineau were joined by moderator Alex Shorten (formerly General Counsel of Weyerhaeuser, and Imperial Parking) in a discussion of the new BC Code of Conduct . The meeting was opened by Allison Crane of Intermark Law, Chair of the CCCA-BC Section. Rashida Usman of HSBC Bank Canada, Treasurer of the CCCA-BC Section, gave an introduction and overview of the new and improved CCCA-BC webpage on the CBABC website (found at http://cbabc.org/Sections/CCCA-BC). The panel, moderated by Alex Shorten, discussed the new Code of Professional Conduct for BC from the perspective of In-House Counsel. There was also a discussion of the impact of the recent decision in CNR v. McKercher LLP. There was a lively discussion with questions from the group.
January 13, 2014
Guest Speaker: Shawn Neylan of Stikeman Elliott LLP, Toronto, Ontario
Meeting Title/Topic: Competition Law: The Commissioner of Competition’s annus horribilis in the Competition Tribunal
Synopsis: Shawn Neylan of Stikeman Elliott LLP, Toronto, presented a competition law update entitled: "The Commissioner of Competition’s annus horribilis in the Competition Tribunal: Real Estate Board, Credit Cards and Telecom Advertising Cases". Mr. Neylan fielded many questions during the presentation and there was a discussion with the group of the current state of competition law in Canada.
February 18, 2014
Guest Speakers: Anne Giardini, QC, President at Weyerhaeuser, Anna Fung QC, VP, Legal & General Counsel at TimberWest, and Richard Berrow, Partner at Faskens Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Meeting Title/Topic: In-House Counsel Serving as Directors of Non-Profit Organizations – Tips, Benefits, Risks and Strategies
Synopsis: A panel consisting of Anne Giardini, QC, President at Weyerhaeuser, Anna Fung QC, VP, Legal & General Counsel at TimberWest and Richard Berrow, Partner at Faskens, discussed tips, benefits, risks and strategies for serving as directors of non-profit organizations.
April 25, 2014
Guest Speakers: Bob Cooper, Cooper Litigation, and Joelle Walker, Lawyer at Walker Contract Services
Meeting Title/Topic: Working with Experts
Synopsis: Working with Experts – An overview of the use of experts and expert reports in litigation including practical considerations when selecting and retaining an expert, the duties of the expert imposed by the Supreme Court Civil Rules, the appropriate role of counsel in reviewing the expert report and limitations on privilege which may arise.
May 13, 2014
Guest Speaker: Nini Halim, Hutabarat Halim & Rekan, Jakarta, Indonesia
Meeting Title/Topic: The Current State of Doing Business in Southeast Asia's Largest Economy
Synopsis: Nini Halim, a founding partner of the Jakarta based law firm Hutabarat Halim & Rekan discussed the current environment for foreign firms doing business in Indonesia, with particular focus on the current legal and regulatory context.
May 29, 2014
Guest Speakers: Grant Borbridge, CCCA Past Chair, and VP Legal and General Counsel, MEG Energy Corp., Calgary, and Timothy M. Banks, Dentons Canada LLP, Toronto
Meeting Title/Topic: Information Session
re: CCCA and Rotman School of Management Certification Program for Canadian In-House Counsel followed by Professional Development Seminar
re: Minute Taking
Synopsis: Grant Borbridge gave an introduction to the newly announced CCCA and Rotman School of Management certification program for Canadian In-House Counsel. Then Mr. Borbridge joined Tim Banks to give a seminar on Minute Taking. Topics discussed during the seminar included: advantages and disadvantages of comprehensive v. minimalist minutes; advice on how to best reflect that decisions and discussions accord to statutory, regulatory and ethical standards; and, applicable law and trends of use of minutes in litigation, best practices and ethical considerations.
June 17, 2014
Guest Speakers: Richard Bennett, Regional Leader of the Tax Group at BLG (Vancouver), Ross McGowan the National Chair of BLG’s Fraud Group (Vancouver), Koker Christensen, Co-Chair of Fasken’s Financial Institutions Group from the Toronto office of Faskens (Toronto), and Anne Giardini, QC, President of Weyerhaeuser
Meeting Title/Topic: A Panel Discussion on Bitcoins
Synopsis: Anne Giardini, QC, moderated a panel to discuss Bitcoins.