McCarthy Tétrault Alumni Newsletter
July 2022
Welcome to the inaugural edition of our new alumni newsletter, just one of the new initiatives we’re rolling out as part of our refreshed alumni program. Designed with you in mind, the program will help you stay connected to the amazing network of people who have called McCarthy Tétrault ‘home’ at some point in their careers.
Having spent my entire career at McCarthy Tétrault, I have seen firsthand how truly exceptional our alumni are. You hold top judicial appointments and C-suite roles, are general counsel for leading Canadian companies, serve on corporate and not-for-profit boards and some of you have left the practice of law and forged exciting new career paths in far off corners of the globe. These many and varied pursuits make for interesting connections and interesting conversations, and it is your stories that we hope to capture in our newsletter.
Despite being spread out across the world, the relationships and friendships you have built at McCarthy Tétrault are strong and enduring. Even decades after working together, many of you remain close confidantes, friends and informal advisors, often acting as references and business connectors, both for those of us who remain at the firm and those who have moved on.
We want to help ensure these relationships remain intact and make it easier to stay connected.
In that spirit, our team has been hard at work developing an alumni program that we hope you’ll find useful and informative, as well as entertaining. It will be a place for you to tell us what you are up to, share advice, celebrate achievements, discuss ideas and issues affecting our industry and get firm updates.
In addition to the newsletter, we’ll be using your feedback to roll out other initiatives within the alumni program. In the meantime, I look forward to reconnecting with you and encourage you to reach out to one another.
Many thanks,
Vernita Tsang
General Counsel, Fengate Asset Management
McCarthy Tetrault, 2004-2008,
Real Property and Planning
Now General Counsel,
Fengate Asset Management
Last fall, Vernita Tsang was named General Counsel of Fengate Asset Management, an investment firm specializing in real assets such as infrastructure, private equity and real estate. She started her legal career with McCarthy Tétrault’s Real Property and Planning group in Toronto. Vernita then moved on to Infrastructure Ontario where she spent nearly nine years advising on all aspects of major civil, social and transit infrastructure projects delivered through public-private partnership models. Prior to becoming Fengate’s General Counsel, Vernita served as its Vice President, Legal.
With her latest move, the scope of her job has expanded to include business strategy and Fengate’s long term direction.
“General Counsel is responsible for motivating people, considering strategy and setting the company’s vision and goals. It’s a different way of thinking than when you are a lawyer; it’s like ‘here is a problem … let’s solve it’,” said Vernita.
She has taken on a key role for the company, leading a committee developing a strategy for the promotion of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives.
Vernita notes the importance of framing every action through an ESG lens, such as screening investments. “Since we do good ESG things, we need to be more robust in what our roadmap is, and what exactly are each of the ‘E’, ‘S’, and ‘G’ goals that Fengate stands for.” The team is also developing key performance indicators and incorporating them into performance reviews.
Initiative and executive leadership support are critical success factors, Vernita said, which is why she accepted the role. She and the committee are now building a multi-year plan that will require dedicated attention.
“It is going to be hard because there are three lines of business, each with its own view on ESG. They will need support from the top to find their ESG way.”
Create a Personal Board of Directors
“Keep your eyes open for mentors. They are so important – not just for practical things like references, but also for emotional and professional support.
Advocate for Yourself
At the start of her career, Vernita focused on keeping her head down and working hard. But she soon realized this strategy would not work, especially for a young female lawyer. That’s why she urges young lawyers to speak up.
“You need to advocate for yourself and ensure your voice is heard. Otherwise people won’t know to look in your direction when an opportunity presents itself.”
It was that advice that led to Vernita being considered for the GC role. She made it clear that her ambition was for the GC’s office and was a compelling choice when the position opened up.
“If there is a special project or something outside your comfort zone, don’t shy away from the challenge. Put up your hand and figure it out. Because you are smart and capable and when you do it, other people will notice.”
Do you know someone (perhaps you?) who we should turn the spotlight on in a future newsletter? Send us your suggestions.
As this is the inaugural edition of our newsletter, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do! There are so many people to hear from – 2022 has been a successful year for a lot of our alumni. From winning awards, to starting new roles and more, check out what some of your former colleagues have been up to:
Please share your own milestone or help us celebrate someone else. Email us at alumninews@mccarthy.ca.
In January, McCarthy Tétrault welcomed our new Chief Inclusion Officer, Charlene Theodore. Charlene is a passionate and dedicated community leader with a unique understanding of the interconnection between the legal profession and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and how to achieve tangible and meaningful results. As the first Black president of the Ontario Bar Association, Charlene designed and implemented a series of initiatives for law firms and corporate Canada to reimagine workplaces ꟷ building productive, profitable, healthy, diverse and inclusive work environments. Recently, Charlene was named to the SCC Judicial Appointment Advisory Board that will offer recommendations to help identify suitable candidates for the Supreme Court of Canada to fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Mr. Justice Michael J. Moldaver. Charlene brings significant experience as a former employment and labour lawyer with a background in international human rights law and government relations. Charlene will oversee our award-winning Inclusion Now program and the implementation of our many EDI initiatives. We are thrilled to have Charlene on board!
On June 2, 2022, McCarthy Tétrault hosted its Third Annual GC Summit – General Counsel as Growth Leader in the Age of Disruption. With over 160 attendees, the panelists discussed:
Key themes emerged throughout the summit: pressing global issues, labour shortages, energy, growth and competitiveness, cyber security, morphing risk into opportunity, creating a culture that drives innovation, collaborating with outside counsel to develop opportunities, perceiving ESG as an opportunity, and using grey zones to enable risk-taking.
McCarthy Tétrault CEO Dave Leonard facilitated the panel that included Janet De Silva, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, and Karl Tabbakh, the firm’s Regional Managing Partner, Québec, and Chair of the Board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. We would also like to extend thanks to alumna Miranda Lam for speaking at the event.
To read the full report from the Annual GC Summit, please follow this link.
Have you recently been promoted, won an award, been appointed to a board or made an exciting career move (or know someone who has)? Send us your updates to be featured in our next edition!
Abigail (Abi) Tulloch and Catherine Fagnan are among our alumni who volunteered to act as mentors for our associates who identify as diverse as part of “Mentorship Plus,” a partnership between McCarthy Tétrault, Uber, Airbnb and Legal Leaders for Diversity. Mentorship Plus was created to facilitate mentorship and connections for associates who identify as diverse, in recognition of, and in response to, research indicating that these associates have more difficulty finding sponsors and champions.
If you would like to learn more about the Mentorship Plus mentoring program, please contact Gillian Kerr at gkerr@mccarthy.ca. We’re always looking for more alumni to share their wisdom with our young talent.
Don’t wait until December 31, 2022. Our firm is here to help you obtain your CPD credits. Our learning management systems help you manage your professional development. You can 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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