Connect

A Message from Dave Leonard, Chief Executive Officer

In 2019, the partners of McCarthy Tétrault made a trailblazing commitment to our communities and to inclusion with the promise to donate $5 million over five years to United Way Centraide, in addition to our annual regional fundraisers. That commitment, I believe, continues to speak volumes about the culture of this firm – the recognition that the health of our communities is paramount and that inclusion builds the foundation for that health.

As 2022 draws to a close, we see inflation and economic hardship pushing more people to food banks. Our new immigrants from around the world, including Afghanistan and Ukraine, struggle to find affordable housing, and Indigenous peoples, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, women, and people with disabilities are still facing significant barriers to inclusion.

We at the firm have many blessings and advantages, and our annual United Way Centraide campaign is but one way to keep those communities front and centre in our minds. This year, each office developed engaging (and often hilarious) regional events that both brought us together as teams and added further donations to our five-year commitment. This money has real impact: in 2021 we supported 12,237 newcomers, Indigenous peoples, members of LGBTQ2S+ community, women, and people with disabilities, bringing the total number of people supported since our 2018 commitment to 58,879. You can find more information about the impact of our partnership with the United Way Centraide in our Inclusion Now 2022 Annual Report.

We appreciate your wonderful feedback on our first alumni newsletter and hope you find this issue just as entertaining and informative. Please continue sending us updates on your life events – we love knowing what you have been up to and sharing your great stories with former colleagues.

Finally, we wish each of you a safe, healthy and happy holiday season and New Year.

Warm wishes,
Dave Leonard

Catching Up with Erin Nicholas

Part of an Iconic Canadian Growth Story

In 2010, Erin Nicholas became lululemon’s first in-house lawyer – three years after the company went public. At the time, lululemon had a presence in four countries, more than 4,500 employees, and $700 million in revenue. Since then, Erin’s role has evolved to VP, Legal, Deputy General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, overseeing a team of nearly 50 legal professionals across 17 countries in a fast paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Reporting to the SVP, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Erin also works closely with the Board of Directors and leadership team to propel the company’s growth and successfully manage its rapid international expansion. As the first lawyer on board, Erin has helped lululemon grow to a company with $6 billion in revenue, 574 corporate-owned stores and more than 29,000 employees. Recently, she has navigated the company’s expansion into a growing fitness technology market with its acquisition of Mirror, an at-home fitness company with interactive live and on-demand classes, and oversaw lululemon’s sponsorship of the Canadian Olympic team.

Donovan Plomp sat down with Erin for a conversation about her experience at lululemon.

Q. Tell us how you came to work at lululemon.

“I was on maternity leave with my second child when I got a call from Linda Brown, who I had previously worked with at McCarthy Tétrault. She asked if I would consider applying for a ‘part-time’ corporate secretary role with a client of the firm. With two small children at home, I was intrigued by the possible part-time nature of the role. At the time, I owned one pair of lululemon pants but was not at all familiar with the company. Once I was hired and people understood that I was a lawyer, ‘part-time’ became a distant memory.”

Q. What experience have you gained during your twelve years with lululemon?

“When I started with lululemon, I was managing all of the legal issues, as you do when you’re an in-house team of one, and was also supporting the Board work as Corporate Secretary (which I still am). I was in the role for about a year when we hired Shannon Higginson, our current SVP, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer to help with the volume of work. We built the team together over the last 11 years. I currently oversee intellectual property, human resources, litigation, corporate governance and parts of our commercial work. I am also involved in our sustainability work. I still feel like I am constantly learning as we expand into different areas and geographies. I feel very fortunate to have had the experience I’ve had with lululemon over the past twelve years and truly believe that I would not have received the same wide-ranging experience at too many other places.”

Q. How did you plan for the growth of lululemon’s legal team?

“When we started to grow the team in the first few years, we had to figure out which areas to prioritize based on what kept us up at night the most. Given the volume of work, we added people who were subject matter experts in their areas so they could hit the ground running. I am proud of the team that we’ve built and how we have been able to support the business in many different areas. We have worked hard to maintain our culture as we added people to the team and, more recently, dealt with a global pandemic. There have been very few boring days over the years. It has definitely been an interesting time and I am lucky to work with all of the talented people on my team who make my job easier. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I do get to wear lululemon to work every day!”

What’s New With You?

This year has been a successful one for many of our alumni. From winning awards, to starting new roles, check out what some of your former colleagues have been up since our last newsletter:

Award Winners

• Greg Barker (Real Property and Planning, Toronto: 2011 – 2012), Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Canada Lands Company, was recognized as a 2022 Rising Star: Leading Lawyer Under 40 by Lexpert.
• Roger Chouinard (Business Law, Toronto: 1999 – 2010), Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, QuadReal Property Group, was recognized as General Counsel of the Year at the Western Canada General Counsel Awards.
• Stephen Diamond (Real Property and Planning, Toronto: 1995 – 2006), President and CEO of DiamondCorp, was appointed to the Order of Ontario by the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
• Patricia Gauthier (Litigation, London UK and Montréal: 2000 – 2007), Country General Manager, Moderna, was named one of Canada’s most powerful women by the Women’s Executive Network.
• David E. Roberge (Litigation, Montréal: 2003 – 2022), Superior Court of Québec, was recognized as Advocatus Emeritus by the Québec Bar.
• Claire Seaborn (Litigation, Toronto: 2016 – 2020), Chief of Staff to Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, was the 2022 Emerging Leader Award Winner at the Women Infrastructure Network Awards.
• Larissa Vermeersch (formerly Moscu) (Litigation, Toronto: 2012 – 2014), Assistant General Counsel, Head of Litigation and Partner, Deloitte Canada was recognized as a 2022 Rising Star: Leading Lawyer Under 40 by Lexpert.

Promotions and New Positions

• Andrée-Claude Bérubé (Business Law, Montréal: 2001 – 2010), Executive Vice-President & General Counsel, SNC Lavalin
• Julien C. Brousseau (Business Law, Montréal: 2015), General Counsel, nesto Inc.
• Sabrina Bruno (Business Law, Toronto: 2017 – 2020), Legal Counsel, lululemon athletica.
• Jeremy Busch-Howell (Business Law, Calgary: 2011 – 2019), Vice President, Legal, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Total Energy Services Inc.
• Daniela Chimisso dos Santos (Business Law, Toronto: 1996 – 2000), Non-Executive Director, Sustainability Expert, Of Counsel, Cescon, Barrieu, Flesch & Barreto Advogados.
• Caitlin Choi (Business Law, Toronto: 2021 – 2022), Senior Legal Counsel, Constellation Software.
• Domenic Di Sisto (Business Law, Toronto: 2004 – 2007), Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, Docebo.
• Catherine Fagnan (Business Law, Toronto: 2005 – 2012), Associate General Counsel, Green Infrastructure Partners.
• Sacha Fraser (Litigation, Toronto: 1993 – 2000), General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, IBM Canada.
• Marylène Gargour (Litigation, Montréal: 2004 – 2008), Senior Advisor, Corporate Social Responsibility, Boralex Inc.
• Marie-Pier Gosselin (Real Property and Planning, Québec City: 2008 – 2022), Director, Legal Affairs – QSL La réussite sur mesure / Tailor-Made Success.
• Fred Headon (Labour and Employment, Montréal: 1999 – 2006), General Counsel, Labour and Employment Law, Air Canada.
• Phil Kurtz (Business Law, Toronto: 1999 – 2001), Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, BlackBerry.
• Jessica Laham (Litigation, Toronto: 2013 – 2022), Senior Counsel, Gilead Sciences.
• Joëlle Lecours-Bouchard (Business Law, Toronto: 2014 – 2015), Senior Legal Counsel, LeoVegas Group.
• Daniel Magny (Litigation, Montréal: 1994 – 1998), General Counsel, International Law and Regulatory Affairs, Air Canada.
• Charlotte-Anne Malischewski (Litigation, Toronto: 2016 – 2022), Deputy Chief Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission.
• Jennifer McGoey (Business Law, Toronto: 2014), promoted to Chief Compliance Officer, Whitehorse Liquidity Partners.
• Curtis Merry (Business Law, London: 2016 – 2021), Investment Banking Associate, Mergers & Acquisitions, RBC Capital Markets.
• Andrejs Mistiouk (Real Property and Planning, Toronto: 2010 – 2019), Senior Vice-President, Legal, Canderel Group.
• Caitlin Norton (Real Property and Planning, Toronto: 2009 – 2012), General Counsel, Lafarge Canada Inc.
• Nicole Rumble (Business Law, Toronto: 2014 - 2018), Senior Legal Counsel, University Pension Plan Ontario.
• Vivian Sy (Business Law, Toronto: 2020 – 2022), General Counsel, First Avenue Investment Counsel Inc.
• Judy Tian (Business Law, Toronto: 2017 – 2022), Legal Counsel, StepStone Group.
• Larissa Vermeersch (formerly Moscu) (Litigation, Toronto: 2012 – 2014), Assistant General Counsel, Head of Litigation and Partner, Deloitte Canada.
• Jamie Yoon (Litigation, Toronto: 2008 – 2012), General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Kids Help Phone.

Judicial Appointments

• Mélanie Dugré (Litigation, Montréal: 2002 – 2007), Court of Québec.
• Rita Maxwell (Litigation, Toronto: 2002 – 2006), Superior Court of Justice of Ontario.
• David E. Roberge (Litigation, Montréal: 2003 – 2022), Superior Court of Québec.

Other News

• Eloïse Gagné (Business Law, Montréal: 2018 – 2022) represented the Québec Liberal Party as the candidate in the Mégantic riding.

Please share your own milestone or help us celebrate someone else. Email us at alumninews@mccarthy.ca.

Alumni in the Community

Jane Langford, and the United Way Centraide

You may already be familiar with alumna Jane Langford's (Litigation, Toronto: 1997 – 2012) tireless work within the community. Currently Executive Vice President and General Counsel of TD Bank, Jane’s first exposure to the United Way Centraide came as an associate at McCarthy Tétrault. Over her 15 years at the firm, Jane was responsible for organizing campaign events and further championing the cause. She has also been a Women United Member and a Major Donor, and, in 2019, joined the United Way of Greater Toronto's Campaign Cabinet as Co-Chair of the Law Sector.

“I was born and raised in Toronto and have chosen to raise my family in this city. I am proud of the city's vibrant and diverse culture. But there are dark forces of inequity that prevent everyone from sharing in the opportunities this city offers; we must recognize these forces and remove barriers and support solutions,” said Jane. “The United Way not only offers a network of support for those in need, it also collaborates with private and public sector leaders to offer research-based solutions to our city's problems.”

Miranda Lam, and the BC Cancer Foundation Beyond Belief Campaign

Alumna Miranda Lam (Litigation, Vancouver: 2006 – 2021), Chief Legal Officer & Senior Director, Business Development, Acuitas Therapeutics, Inc., is leading the charge as Chair of the BC Cancer Foundation’s Beyond Belief campaign. Miranda’s powerful personal story and dedication to this cause is inspirational.

The Beyond Belief Campaign is considered “the most ambitious and comprehensive health campaign in the history of BC.” With a fundraising goal of $500 million, the campaign sets out to expand and empower BC Cancer Foundation’s teams across the province, invest in research and technology and bring world-class cancer care closer to home in BC.

“The Beyond Belief campaign is an unprecedented opportunity for us–the community–to lend a much needed hand to those who are building a world free from cancer,” said Miranda. “The opportunity that comes with this campaign is to take all our personal stories, and write a new one that’s provincial. One that says ‘we’re going to do something together that will change the face of cancer care and treatment in BC and beyond.’”

Sierra Bilyk and Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital’s Impact Council

Alumna Sierra Bilyk (Litigation, Toronto: 2015 – 2017), Senior Legal Counsel with Metrolinx, is a member of Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital’s Impact Council, a collective of young professionals making a positive impact in Toronto’s east end community. Their inaugural fundraising event, East End Eats, brought together local Toronto restauranteurs, businesses and the community to raise more than $70,000 for the hospital.

“I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with some truly inspirational leaders in our community and to support a vital part of Toronto’s east end,” Sierra said.

Diversity and Inclusion Updates

As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion and authenticity, we’re pleased to share an overview of McCarthy Tétrault's efforts and those of our alumni in the workplace and in our communities. Are you alumni participating in important diversity and inclusion initiatives? We’d love to feature you. Please email alumninews@mccarthy.ca with your story. 

Alumni Diversity, Inclusion and Awareness:

• Greg Barker (Real Property and Planning, Toronto: 2011 – 2012), Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Canada Lands Company, was recently featured in Canadian Lawyer. He reflected on the company’s evolution of legal and his work on diversity and inclusion initiatives, including establishing the company’s Rainbow Connection, a resource group for employees who are members of the LGBTQ2S+ community and their allies.

Diversity, Inclusion and Awareness:

• Holocaust Education Week: On November 3, the firm hosted the Global Roots & Rise of Antisemitism webinar and discussed what the legal profession can do to combat hate and antisemitism.
• Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL): On November 5, the firm served as Platinum Sponsor of CABL’s Annual Conference and Gala.
• Avenue Program for Black Undergraduate Students: In partnership with Legal Leaders for Diversity and the Law Firm Diversity & Inclusion Network the firm launched the Avenue Program to bring awareness of careers in the legal profession to Black undergraduate students. The firm’s Toronto office welcomed two students from the Avenue Program this year.
• Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers Gala (FACL): On November 18, the firm proudly supported FACL’s Gala event.
• Truth and Reconciliation:
• In September, the firm hosted an Indigenous Leadership, Partnerships and Participation in Canadian Projects summit.
• To recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, author Jesse Wente discussed his book Unreconciled: Family, Truth & Indigenous Resistance, and the state of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, alongside our Legal & Strategic Advisor, Indigenous Initiatives, John Brown.
• The Toronto office opened its Indigenous boardroom (named Tkaronto/Debwewin), featuring a number of the firm’s significant Indigenous art pieces in a space intended for discussions on Truth and Reconciliation.

Please reach out to the firm’s Inclusion Now office if you’d like to get involved in any of the above organizations, we’d be happy to make introductions.

What’s New With Us?

Karl Tabbakh, Regional Managing Partner for Québec and Co-Leader of the firm’s International and Business Strategy Group, was appointed Chair of Invest in Canada, the country’s global investment attraction and promotion agency. The announcement was made by the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development. The agency aims to further boost the economy and create quality jobs for Canadians.

Steeves Bujold, Partner and leader of the firm’s litigation group for the Québec region, was named President of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA). An active CBA member for more than two decades, this role is a culmination of Steeves’ advocacy over the years and a reflection of his prominence in the legal profession. Steeves is a tireless advocate for equity and diversity and a champion of the core principles of justice. His two priorities during his presidency will be enhancing judicial independence and improving diversity within the legal community, with a focus on the inclusion of trans and non-binary people.

Awanish (Awi) Sinha, Partner and Co-Lead of the Public Sector strategy group, was featured in Canadian Lawyer where he discussed the crises clients face during times of uncertainty.

Aliya Ramji, Partner and Co-Founder of MT>Ventures and Nicholas Hill, a law student at Lincoln Alexander School of Law, were awarded the 2022 Precedent Innovation Award: The Startup Legal Support Program for their platform that connects law students with startups in need of legal help.

Jean Charest, Partner and Strategic Advisor, has returned to McCarthy Tétrault after a leave of absence to pursue leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. Jean ran a strong campaign bringing his voice of experience to the leadership race.  We are pleased that Jean is back to bring his energy, intelligence and experience to bear for the benefit of our clients in meeting their most complex strategic challenges.

Sarit Batner, a partner in our Litigation group, was presented with the 2021 Award of Excellence in Civil Litigation by the Ontario Bar Association on November 22.

2022 Lexpert Rising Stars, Congratulations to partners Heidi Gordon, Michael Rosenberg, Christine Wadsworth and Lance Williams for being recognized as 2022 Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40 by Lexpert.

The government of Canada recently announced its commitment to implementing legislation aimed at combatting modern slavery. Several bills are making their way through the legislative process and could become law. The firm produced an in-depth thought piece entitled Forced Labour and Modern Slavery Update – Canadian Firms Now Facing Greater Scrutiny of Their Supply Chains to help you prepare for the proposed changes.

And in case you missed it, McCarthy Tétrault, has once again, been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, for the eleventh consecutive year. Employers are selected through a highly competitive research process which includes a comparison of programs and initiatives to those of others in the industry and within professional services organizations.

Alumni & Mentorship Plus

Spearheaded by Gillian Kerr, a Partner in our Litigation Group in Toronto, Mentorship Plus is a partnership between McCarthy Tétrault, Uber, Airbnb and Legal Leaders for Diversity. The program was created to facilitate mentorship and connections for associates who identify as diverse. Past research has shown that diverse associates often have more difficulty finding sponsors and champions. Spearheaded by Gillian Kerr, a partner in

Abigail (Abi) Tulloch, Catherine Fagnan and Ryan MacIsaac are among our alumni who volunteered to act as mentors within the Mentorship Plus program.

We’re always looking for more alumni to share their wisdom and support young talent. If you would like to learn more about the Mentorship Plus mentoring program, please contact Gillian at gkerr@mccarthy.ca.

Need CPD Credits? We Can Help!

Need last-minute CPD credits for 2022? Our firm is here for you! Our learning management systems help you manage your professional development. Find all our e-learning offerings on our website. You can also view a summary of your CPD credits earned at our internal programs and meetings (on your dashboard, click on “View Details” next to your year of call, under “My Jurisdictions”). For questions or assistance with the program, please email alumninews@mccarthy.ca.

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In Memoriam

• Lawrence Thomas (Tom) Forbes (Litigation, Toronto: 1965 - 2006)

Keep In Touch

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Share information for future newsletters or let us know if we’ve missed anything or need to make any amendments by emailing alumninews@mccarthy.ca.