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CCCA_V4No1_Secondments-FIN.qxd:CCCA_V1No1_DriversSeat-FIN.qxd 2/3/10 12:00 PM Page 22 Cover Dennis Miller Partner, Aird & Berlis LLP [right] Dan Caldarone Legal Counsel, Cara Operations Ltd. [left] highway maintenance and construction company, says his parent Johnson found the experience working in-house an eye- company based in Britain has used secondments as an integral opener.“Every issue hits your desk. Decisions are called for on a component of building strong relationships for several years. So real-time basis… you can’t sit back and politely say I need to when Rosenberg retained Blake, Cassels & Graydon about four think about the issue.” In contrast to private practice, which is years ago, he raised the possibility of creating secondments from much more focused on specific parts of a legal issue,Johnson says the outset. in-house counsel must be able to keep track of a broader range Recently, Mark Johnson, an associate in the Toronto office of of issues. Blake’s business, infrastructure and information technology Rosenberg says the secondment program has really raised the groups went on secondment at Carillion Canada for a six-month calibre of legal service he gets from outside counsel. “You will period from April 2009 to September 2009. “Carillion was end up being much happier with work you get from external searching for a senior associate to do a six-month secondment to lawyers,since the seconded lawyer will go back to their firm and work on an infrastructure project… also they wanted someone tell their team what we do, how we work and what our needs who would be able to work on their files after returning to the are… none of the people here hesitate to call a lawyer who had firm,” Johnson says. been seconded here, since they get to know them so well.We Rosenberg says that finding the ideal lawyer for a secondment really wouldn’t have such a smooth relationship if the lawyer had project can be challenging.“When we take a lawyer on second- not been working side-by-side with us on a daily basis.” ment, we have a very particular need and it has to be the right Johnson says his experience at Carillion has made it much eas- MARK STEGEL lawyer at the right level for the project.” ier for him to distinguish between issues which require prompt 22 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association SPRING 2010