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CCCA62_018-025.qxd:CCCA_V1No2_Recruiting-V1.qxd 09/14/2007 02:32 PM Page 22 Feature “ I definitely wanted to branch out, become more involved in the business and ” play a more integral role. Scott Kitching, Executive Vice-President and Chief Legal Counsel, Ceridian Canada, Winnipeg work, but I didn’t feel like I was part of it.” work from home, and the promise of a seat on the board. Like Kitching,most corporate lawyers enjoy life on their side of As for the promise of shorter hours —– once the siren lure of the fence. According to the 2007 In-House Corporate Counsel a corporate position —– candidates may be in for a disappoint- Barometer, conducted by the CCCA and sponsored by Ward ment. In-house counsel are averaging 50 hours a week, according Phillips &Vineberg LLP, eight in ten in-house corporate counsel to the CCCA’s Barometer,and although the work week has stayed (78%) are likely to reccomend becoming an in-house counsel to steady for the majority, a quarter of respondents have seen their their friends/colleguges who are currently in private practice. hours increase over the past year. Topping the list of advantages: playing an active part in business What a corporate position does offer is more predictable hours. decisions and applying legal training to a business environment. “People know that if they have a dinner engagement on aThursday In-house lawyers also enjoy a stimulating variety of work.At evening, then they’ll be able to make it,” says Sweeney.“If they’re Cameco, for example, the legal department handles regulatory planning to go to the cottage this weekend, they will make it.” affairs, governance issues, securities work, sophisticated commer- cial law, high-calibre transactions, and acquisitions in jurisdic- Business objectives tions around the world. “It’s a pretty rich portfolio of work to A job ad may generate plenty of applications, but not everyone do, and one that I think, if you’re in a private firm, you’d salivate is cut out for the in-house environment.“It takes someone who to get your hands on,” says Quinn. is able to take legal solutions and turn them into practical busi- ness solutions,” says Sereda. Sweetening the pot Companies want a lawyer who understands their business Although the work is clearly attractive, the money in-house isn’t objectives and can tell them how to achieve those objectives, usually a big enticement. Generally speaking, corporate salaries given the relevant laws or rules.“You are looking for someone can’t compete with private practice. who is solutions-oriented, as opposed to a problem identifier,” However,that isn’t the key concern for most lawyers contemplat- says Brennan. The lawyer’s first question should not be, ‘What ing a shift,says Sereda.“Compensation is never the number one rea- are the legal issues here?’ but,‘What are we trying to achieve on son why people leave,” she says.“It’s always third or fourth on the a business level?’” list.” There are many things companies can offer to sweeten the pot, This awareness takes solid legal training and good common including bonuses, extra vacation time, stock options (sometimes sense, and preferably, some business experience. In-house posi- ROBERT TINKER totalling as much as the salary itself), the possibility of doing some tions tend to be much broader in scope than those in private 22 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association FALL 2007