The CEO of Legend Gold Corp. says individual mines should have responsibility for CSR in their area. Photo: Legend Gold Corp.

Embracing a model of corporate social responsibility can help a company better manage its risk and improve its governance structure, but it’s not just in-house counsel who should be working on it — external counsel have a role to play as well.

Magna International vice president and secretary Bassem Shakeel. Photo: Mark Blinch/Reuters

Magna International Inc. is adopting a number of corporate governance enhancements as part of initiatives it began in 2010 to become more friendly to shareholders.

Happy new year! The most exciting part of 2012 for me is that I can officially say I was called to the Ontario bar “last year” — it already sounds better than saying “in June,” doesn’t it? Over the next 12 months, I look forward to sharing with you some of the highs and lows of my first year of legal practice. I welcome your comments and any suggestions for future articles.

The University of Victoria business law clinic lets students get real-world experience with local businesses.

Many students come to law school with the mistaken notion that they will learn everything they need to become a lawyer in class — I know I did.

There is something awry when a dispute between a company and a government that engages public policy is resolved by arbitrators subject to the authority of an international business organization. It becomes ridiculous when virtually everything about the process is kept confidential.

Illustration: Jason Schneider

Don’t ever tell Ned Levitt it’s time for him to retire. The 63-year-old partner at Aird & Berlis LLP intends to carry on practising law “until the hearse pulls up to the door.” He’s one of many healthy and highly motivated baby boomers who believe they will remain active and productive for many years to come. “My practice is still expanding so why put an arbitrary time frame on that,” he says. “I work out at a gym three mornings a week. I’m a shortboard windsurfer. So are you going to tell me to go lie on a couch?”

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has reached an agreement with activist shareholder West Face Capital in the boardroom conflict that involved Purdy Crawford, one of Canada’s top business lawyers.

Purdy Crawford is caught in the crossfire between activist shareholder and Maple Leaf Foods’ management.

One of Canada’s best-known business lawyers, Purdy Crawford, has been caught in the crossfire of a battle between an activist shareholder and the management of Maple Leaf Foods Inc., where he is the lead independent director.

Economic growth and development have led to an optimistic outlook among Atlantic Canada’s top 10 full-service law firms. Increased investment and development in the region mean more opportunities for all firms on this year’s list — large and small, say managing partners. The firms made this year’s list through Canadian Lawyer’s annual survey based on the votes of lawyers across Canada. To qualify, these firms needed to offer a wide range of legal services and have offices only in Atlantic Canada — New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

As far as the legal profession goes, it’s one of the saddest statistics around — while women account for more than half of Canada’s law school graduates, they still don’t come close to that number in terms of partner membership at law firms across the country.