Page 17 - CCCA Magazine. Winter 2018

{ FeatUre }

One of the biggest trends among in-house counsel is the desire to move out of
the profession—or perhaps better put, embrace the expansion of the role beyond
legal. As a result, increasingly more in-house counsel are enhancing their business
acumen to get them from now to the future.
Given this growing demand for both legal skills and business smarts, in 2014, the
CCCA, in conjunction with the Rotman School of Management, designed the Business
Leadership Program for In-House Counsel (BLPIHC), earning graduates the exclusive
designation of Certifed In-House Counsel – Canada (CIC.C). So far, 180 in-house
counsel hold the CIC.C designation, with 40 more expected to join them in 2019.
Here we focus on four alumni, who illustrate that great in-house counsel not only
deliver sound legal advice but also contribute to the success of the business as a whole.

Theodore Dela Avle, CIC.C

“I was particularly attracted to the Bruce ing] wasn’t theoretical; it was a structured approach to dealing
Power role because of the opportunity to with thorny issues [that I use] when I am in similar situations.”
expand beyond law,” recounts Theodore From his perspective, “if all you do is provide black-and-
Dela Avle (who goes by Dela), Senior Legal Counsel at Bruce white legal advice, you will become extinct.” The value of in-
Power. “During my interview, the GC indicated that there house counsel comes when you combine “your legal skills with
would be ample opportunity to branch out and that the team an intimate understanding of your specifc company’s business
comprised business-minded folks who happened to be lawyers, (including its industry and the broader market it operates in)
which resonated with me.” and general business acumen.”
With the frst half of his career in private practice—frst in All of the lawyers whom he admires have worn many dif-
the U.S., then Ghana and fnally Canada—Dela made the move ferent hats. “I think the business world sees quite a lot of value
in-house in 2009. He wanted to provide more than legal advice; in that background,” he says. “I have had three GCs since join-
he was looking to be a strategic business advisor as well. He ing Bruce Power and all of them have had very varied back-
enrolled in the BLPIHC. grounds and experiences. Their advice has always been from a
Like the large majority of participants, what helped Dela the business perspective.”
most were his colleagues. He was surrounded with a “talented Dela recently completed a three-year rotation in the Cor-
bunch” from a variety of countries, practice areas (both public porate and Commercial Services Division. “[This experience,
and private) and experience levels (from a few years to many coupled with the BLPIHC,] has helped me be a better lawyer, as
decades out of law school). “The energy and synergy in bring- I have lived through the day-to-day challenges business manag-
ing our personal experiences to discussions and simulations ers have to deal with and that provides the context for whatever
was priceless,” he says. specifc legal (or seemingly legal) advice they seek. So my advice
In terms of the courses, the ones he found most relevant were comes with a level of understanding and empathy that I am not
organizational dynamics (“Bruce Power being a bit of a matrix sure I would otherwise have.”
organization”), team building (“the difference between being a As for the future, he is looking up—to increasingly more senior
manager and leader—the second one is harder”), and managing legal and perhaps business roles. “The goal is to always be one of
transitions. He frequently refers to his notes because “[the learn- the people who shape the direction of my organization,” he says.

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