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CCCA_V6No3_Spotlight-FIN_CCCA_V1No1_Profile-FIN.qxd 9/18/12 2:23 PM Page 45 Spotlight on… The new face of in-house counsel “When the value that these people are contributing to their organization is recog- nized, it then raises expectations in the cor- porate community as to what [in-house] lawyers can add.” In turn, this “attracts lawyers with greater experience and busi- ness insight, who are taking up senior posi- tions inside corporations. And when respected individuals go in-house, it raises the expectation that they have much to contribute, and raises the prestige of the position,” says Fisher. Defining expectations Jamie Patterson, counsel, corporate secre- tary and chief privacy officer at Group Medical Services in Regina, has been an in-house counsel since 2010. Prior to that, the graduate of University of Saskatchewan Faculty of Law was in pri- vate practice for five years. He considers an in-house counsel position as “similar in stature to private practice.” Patterson decided to try in-house “since I found that most of my satisfaction in private practice was coming from working with my primary clients.When I was providing them with advice on a long-term basis,it had con- text to it, a relationship was built.” In con- trast, Patterson found handling one-off mat- ters much less fulfilling. “My clients are a number of departments within the business,” he says. “At the end of the day, all of their interests converge. I get to provide them advice within that spectrum of operation, AUTOMNE 2012 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association 45