Submitted by Section Treasurer, Patricia Thiel
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 5
October 23, 2014
Guest Speakers: Panel Members: Simon Whistler, Director of Global Risk Analysis, Control Risks, Kevin Price VP Legal, Assistant General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Methanex Corporation and Martin Fisher-Haydis Lawyer, Fasken Martineau
Moderator: Robert Quon, Canadian Jurisdiction Council Member of IPBA and Partner, Fasken Martineau
Meeting Title/Topic: Managing Risk in Latin America
Synopsis: The panel discussion touched on issues such as:
-Emerging political, integrity and security trends in Latin America and the ways in which companies in Latin America can mitigate and adapt to changing country macro risks
-The impact of key events, such as a comprehensive peace agreement in Colombia and Mexico’s major energy reform, both nationally and regionally -A focus on key industries such as mining and infrastructure and the particular challenges associated with them
-Money-laundering, corrupt practices and other regulatory offences in the region
November 25, 2014
Guest Speaker: Richard G. Stock, M.A., FCIS, CMC, Founding partner of Catalyst Consulting
Meeting Title/Topic: Performance Metrics and Scorecards for the Legal Department
Synopsis: Mr. Stock presented 7 basic KPIs with examples of initiatives and targets for each. He noted that the legal department must have solid performance data if it is to be properly managed and if it is to reach its full potential. Key performance indicators (KPIs) should capture and communicate the developmental and strategic contributions of the legal department – and do so in a measureable fashion. The KPIs are: strategic/operational, complexity, effectiveness, efficiency, competencies, user satisfaction and costs.
Richard shared his proven strategies and techniques for establishing a basic scorecard within 90 days. The focus will be on
-Selecting corporate KPIs to align with the legal department
-Scorecards and dashboards that make sense
-Moving from managing risk to helping make business decisions quickly and intelligently -Changing the company’s expectations of the legal department -KPIs and initiatives/actions for the legal department
-Communicating the value of the legal department Richard’s one hour presentation focused on how law departments can better capture and communicate their developmental and strategic contributions.
January 27, 2015
Guest Speakers: James (Jim) Reynolds, Mandell Pinder LLP, Sarah Ciarrocchi, Mandell Pinder LLP and Janelle Dwyer, Mandell Pinder LLP
Meeting Title/Topic: Doing Business with First Nations
Synopsis: The speakers presented on the topic of "Doing Business with First Nations". During and following the presentation, the speakers and attendees engaged in various exchanges regarding the roles of Chief in Council and hereditary chiefs, application of provincial laws on reserve lands, ability of third parties to rely on authority of individuals representing a First Nation, impact benefit agreements, unique characteristics and objectives of different First Nations and other topics.
April 14, 2015
Guest Speaker: Susan Martyn and Douglas Cowgill of PricewaterhouseCoopers
Meeting Title/Topic: Navigating the Changes in Immigration Law for Corporations
Synopsis: The speakers presented on:
-Recent trends in cross-border business travel and tips on how to avoid red flag scenarios;
-New developments in Canadian immigration law including: The Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the new LMIA application process;
-The new International Mobility Program including new job offer submission and fee payment requirements;
-The new Express Entry permanent residence in-take system;
- and New citizenship eligibility requirements. Overview of new immigration and compliance enforcement regime in Canada as it applies to companies hiring foreign workers Top 10 ways to manage corporate immigration risk
May 25, 2015
Guest Speaker: Anne Wittman of the Shareholder Association for Research & Education and Wendy King – VP Legal, Governance and Risk- Capstone Mining
Meeting Title/Topic: Why Human Rights is part of a Corporate Counsel’s Job
Synopsis: Anne Wittman of SHARE (Shareholder Association for Research & Education) provided a primer for Corporate Counsel on Human Rights. Wendy King of Capstone Mining provided some practical advice regarding recent developments in Human Rights such as the Hud Bay and Tahoe cases. Allison Crane, Chair of CCCA BC section, introduced new members of the CCCA BC Executive for 2015/2016.