Roger Martin, Paula Boggs, Major-General Cathcart headline CCCA National Spring Conference

  • April 03, 2013

TORONTO – Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School of Management and author of The Opposable Mind, will deliver the opening address and share his strategies on integrative thinking on Monday, April 15 at 8 a.m. during the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association's (CCCA) National Spring Conference, taking place April 14-16 at the Hilton Toronto.

Also headlining the conference is Paula Boggs, Fortune 500 veteran and former General Counsel of Starbucks, who will deliver a keynote speech on Monday, April 15 at 12:15 p.m. and immediately afterwards join a distinguished panel of women lawyers to discuss insights from the forthcoming bookBreaking Through: Tales from the Top Canadian Women General Counsel. Speakers joining Ms. Boggs on the panel include co-authors Kirby Chown, former Ontario Regional Managing Partner, McCarthy Tétrault, and Carrie Mandel, Partner and Practice Leader, Legal & Compliance, Odgers Berndtson.

On Tuesday, April 16 at 1 p.m., Major-General Blaise Cathcart, Judge Advocate General of the Canadian Forces, will provide insight and lessons learned over a distinguished career during a keynote luncheon titled, “Lessons on Advising and Leading under Pressure.”

Additionally, Ronald Deibert, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Canada Centre for Global Security Studies and the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, will take part in a plenary panel on “Cyber Espionage, Attacks and Security: A Risk You Can’t Afford to Overlook” on Monday, April 15 at 8:45 a.m.

As 2013 marks the CCCA’s 25th anniversary, the theme of the conference is 25 Years of In-House Excellence. Concurrent professional development sessions targeted to the unique issues of in-house counsel take place on April 15 and 16, including sessions on pricing legal services, working with risk management departments, and IP considerations in outsourcing. Other topics include:

  • Responding to Executive Misconduct; 
  • Shotguns in the Boardroom: Negotiating Joint Venture Agreements with your Worst Enemy;  
  • The Social Network: What Should Employers Do?; and 
  • The Evolving Legal Regime Governing Ethics and Sustainability for Companies.

Other highlights of the CCCA National Spring Conference include:

  • The Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner on Sunday, April 14 celebrating the 25th anniversary of the CCCA, during which the winner of the 2013 Robert V. A. Jones Award will be presented, along with four new awards: the Community Builder Award, the Professional Contribution Award, the Special Contribution Award, and the Up and Comer Award.
  • The findings of the 2013 CCCA In-House Counsel Barometer Survey will be presented on Monday, April 15 at 2 p.m. during a plenary where, using the results of the survey as a starting point, panellists will explore the future of the in-house profession, as well as the Canadian legal and business landscape. The full survey will be available on April 15 in hard copy at the conference. To receive the survey results electronically, please make arrangements with Karen Sadler.

Full details are available on the CCCA Spring Conference website.

Sessions are open to accredited media. Accreditation may be obtained by contacting Hannah Bernstein. Media are asked to check in at the registration desk on the Conference Floor. 

An integral group within the 37,000-member Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association is dedicated to supporting and enhancing the interests of Canadian corporate counsel. CCCA provides uniquely Canadian perspectives, resources, tools, professional development, conferences, and peer-to-peer networking opportunities.

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