Law Times

Law times • SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 NEWS PAGE 3 her atop a slew of legal expert directories — her bio notes the International Who's Who of Busi- ness Lawyers calls her "the top lawyer in Canada" in the area of corporate governance — and she recently was named the first non-U.S. lawyer to lead the American Bar Association's in- fluential 2,000-member com- mittee on corporate governance. The Davies Ward Phillips & Carol Hansell — love what you do, and put in the time to be the best. Hansell's acumen has landed Vineberg LLP partner has gained a high profile not only by produc- ing for clients like the Bank of Montreal, Biovail, Canada Post, and Celestica, but also by spend- ing much of her time away from the office sitting on boards of di- rectors, contributing to legal orga- nizations, teaching, and writing. Hansell, 50, grew up in Dun- das with three brothers and cred- its her father, Len Hansell, for her entry into the legal profession. She calls her father a "great proponent" of post-secondary education, and recalls how he got his MBA part-time at nights while working. He encouraged her to con- tinue her education even after receiving a scholarship to com- plete her master's degree at the Carol Hansell 'top lawyer in Canada' in her field T BY ROBERT TODD Law Times here's no secret to the success of top corporate and securities lawyer University of Toronto, so she went on to acquire a joint MBA/ LLB from the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. She laughs when recalling how her dad thought it would be a good idea for her to go on and get her CA after that. "He really thought the pro- fessions were a great place to develop a career," says Hansell. "He was the one that steered me in that direction. He was a huge influence." Hansell admits to being less than enthused to begin practis- ing after finishing law school, but says she decided to article anyway. She planned to get into business afterward. It's a good thing she went ahead with her articles, because she loved the year she spent at Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. The vibrant economy of the 1980s meant firms had to push big responsibility on junior law- yers, and Hansell says she em- braced the challenge. She arrived at Davies in 1994, where she's become one of the world's most respected authorities on corporate gov- ernance. She says the firm's lib- eral stance on lawyers sitting on boards of directors has fostered that growth, adding she cur- rently sits on the boards of the Bank of Canada and Toronto East General Hospital. "Not all law firms like to do that, but the firm has appreci- ated the fact that in order for me to be effective with boards, I need to have the hands-on board experience," she says. Hansell also supports her practice through teaching and writing engagements. She's an instructor in the directors edu- cation program at the Rotman School of Management, where every two months she meets 30 new corporate directors as stu- dents. "It keeps you current with the problems people are facing," she says. Writing also keeps her busy, especially on the rare occasions when client work dwindles. Dur- ing a slowdown earlier this decade, Hansell turned her attention to compiling a book to guide boards of directors, What Directors Need To Know: Corporate Governance. Hansell says writing forces her to delve into case law and legislation, which gives her a greater breadth of knowledge than what's offered through straight-up client work. "It provides a lot more scope 'One of the things I think I've been really blessed by is I really love my job,' says Carol Hansell. 'I just love practising law.' meanwhile, started after a col- league recommended she get in- volved as a means of interacting with other lawyers facing similar practice challenges. "I became increasingly in- she says. "I wouldn't sug- gest someone try to pattern their career. It's a collection of things that happen to you over the years that cause you to be where you are at a par- ticular point in time." But Hansell does to go down a particular path to figure out why the law fits to- gether the way it does," she says. Hansell's work with the ABA, Ruby, Edwardh make amicable split BY GLENN KAUTH Law Times T Ruby confirms that senior partner Marlys Ed- wardh is leaving their downtown firm, Ruby & Edwardh. "We are separating quite amicably," Ruby says of the move. For the moment, the practice in Yorkville will continue as is until the split early next year. At that point, Edwardh will set up her own firm, while Toronto civil lawyer Brian Shiller of Shillers LLP will join Ruby as a senior partner. "I've also done some cases with him," Ruby says of Shiller. Edwardh first worked for Ruby as a student in the 1970s before joining as a partner in 1976. "She was just clearly a wonderful lawyer. It was obvious to me, and I think to everyone else," says Ruby, explaining why he was so quick to snap up the young litigator after she graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School. Since then, the pair has taken on some of Canada's most prominent constitutional and civil rights cases. In an interview with Law Times, Clayton he 30-year partnership between two high-profile Toronto defence lawyers is ending. Last year, for example, the firm led a successful challenge of Ontario's new adoption-disclosure law on behalf of birth parents and adopted children who opposed provisions allowing for the release of their identities. Edwardh herself has represented everyone from Maher Arar, during the federal government inquiry into his deportation to Syria, to victims of wrongful convictions such as Steven Truscott, Donald Marshall Jr., and Guy Paul Morin. She has also established herself as an advocate for press freedoms. In 2005, her efforts to defend the National Post against an RCMP bid to con- duct a search warrant on the paper helped earn her the Vox Libertas Award from the organiza- tion Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. For his part, Shiller says his past involve- ment with Ruby has also led him into civil rights cases. "Because of my work with Clay, I found myself doing a number of human rights cases," he says. Still, he notes that his current focus, which includes libel law, won't change when he joins with Ruby. Ruby, too, says little will change with Ed- wardh's departure. Still, he declined to elaborate on exactly what led to the move. "Our practice has developed in different ways," he says. LT volved because the people who connect to, or are members of, the corporate governance section tend to be the leading practitioners in the area in the U.S.," says Hansell. "It's a terrific opportunity to understand where tomorrow's issues are coming form, how people are dealing in an innova- tive way with their clients' prob- lems today. It basically has been my touch point for where gover- nance is going and how we can best serve our clients as a result." Aside from her work with the ABA, Hansell is most proud of her ability to maintain a prac- tice in a major firm like Davies as a senior partner. "If I could have seen this when I started, I would have been pretty excited about it," she says. "Just to be here, sitting where I'm sit- ting, is a pretty exciting thing." She's reluctant, however, to give younger lawyers advice on how to get to where she is. "Nobody has a career path much like anybody else's," I've been really blessed by is I really love my job," she says. "I just love practising law, I like everything associated with it, and so it's not hard for me to do this. It's not hard for me to spend the hours that we have to spend doing this, because I like it so much." For those who do love it enough, she says it's important to realize there are no shortcuts to success, and a diversified practice is good when starting out, but it's vital to pick a high- demand specialty later on. Hansell has been married that young lawyers be mind- ful that the profession can be a struggle for those who don't really love it. She notes that many people think they want to enter the profession, but later find out it's made them miserable. "One of the things I think offer for 23 years to Ron McLaugh- lin. She says much of her downtime is dedicated to him, and the couple's main pastime is entertaining friends. The centerpiece to those get-togethers is the food, says Hansell, noting they recently travelled to Italy to attend a cooking school. She'd like to be able to dedi- cate more time to learning to play piano, but suggests learn- ing that instrument may not be feasible for a top corporate and securities lawyer. "I don't have enough time to have a regular schedule of practising, which I think is pretty much getting in the way of ever being able to do this well," she says. LT This is the fifth in our Women in Law series that is running in Law Times, featuring profiles of female lawyers from around the province. Been in Law Times? Want a record of it? Promote your law firm by ordering reprints of articles REPRINTS LAW TIMES We provide a color PDF and unlimited reproduction rights. from the voice of the profession — Law Times! $175 - $225/reprint For more information or to order reprints, please e-mail Gail Cohen at: gcohen@clbmedia.ca WHICH DIRECTION IS BEST FOR YOU? RainMaker Group 110 Yonge Street, Suite 1101 Toronto, Ontario M5C 1T4 Untitled-7 1 Tel: 416-863-9543 Fax: 416-863-9757 www.rainmakergroup.ca www.lawtimesnews.com 5/29/08 1:05:49 PM

• Cover