Page 14 - CCCA 278683 Magazine_Spring 2018

{ FEATURE }

Conquering

Challenging Clients

By
Jim Middlemiss

Every in-house counsel has a war story to tell about a challenging
client they had to manage at some point in their career.

Take Maura lendon, Vice-President, Chief General Counsel and
Corporate Secretary at Primero Mining Corp. in Toronto. At one public
company she worked at, it was her call as to when the blackout
period was in place, which prohibits insiders from trading shares
in a company. A senior executive who wanted to buy shares took
issue with her position and challenged her legal advice. She had to
explain why the blackout period was in play. “You are the guardian of
the integrity, ethics and legal compliance of the organization and it’s
important not to be shy where those issues are at stake,” she says.
She stood steadfast, yet he persisted and the debate continued.

14 CCCA MAGAzine | SPRinG 2018 PRinTeMPS