CL Talk Canadian Lawyer Magazine

Gordon Raman is the chair of Fasken’s ESG & sustainability practice. His practice also focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and capital markets. Fasken recently released its second annual study on ESG disclosure trends in Canadian corporate governance. The study also examines how law firms can help companies and their boards navigate this area. For our CL Talk podcast, he spoke to us about his career, how ESG is evolving, and insights companies can glean from Fasken’s recent ESG study.

Bo Rothstein became the managing partner of Farris at the beginning of 2024. Farris is a full-service firm with offices across BC. Rothstein spoke on the CL Talk podcast about his journey from starting his legal career in Toronto to becoming the managing partner at Farris LLP, the firm's focus on inclusivity, technology adoption, and mentorship, and his role as a judge for the Lexpert Rising Stars event. These awards recognize Canada’s leading lawyers 40 and under. Nominations for the 2024 awards are now open, and the final deadline is July 5. To nominate, visit https://risingstarscanada.com

Damilola Katibi is senior counsel at Vale Canada. Katibi spoke on our CL Talk podcast about her path from practising law in Nigeria, working as an associate at McCarthy Tétrault and becoming senior counsel at Vale Canada. She also spoke about mentoring internationally trained lawyers, how interviews differ in Canada, her work on a joint venture and sustainable mining at Vale, and what it meant to her to win last year's Lexpert Rising Stars award. This year, she will judge the awards. Nominations for the 2024 awards are now open, and the final deadline to nominate is July 5. Visit https://risingstarscanada.com to nominate this year.

David Kramer is senior legal counsel at Suncor Energy in Calgary. Kramer spoke on our CL Talk podcast about his journey, why he loves practising in-house, working with external counsel, and tips for effective negotiation. Last year, he was named a Lexpert Rising Star, recognizing lawyers 40 and under in Canada. This year, he will judge the awards. Nominations for the 2024 awards are now open, and the final deadline to nominate is July 5. Go to https://risingstarscanada.com to nominate.

Jennifer Teskey became the Canadian managing partner at Norton Rose Fulbright at the beginning of 2024. She is also a judge for the Lexpert Rising Stars Awards, recognizing Canada’s leading lawyers 40 and under. Nominations for the 2024 awards are now open, and the final deadline is July 5. Teskey spoke on our CL Talk podcast about her new role, focusing on clients and internal talent, advice to young lawyers, and not fitting the traditional mould of law firm leadership.

Beth Beattie is senior counsel at the Ministry of the Attorney General Ministry of Health. She was a co-editor of “The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession,” recently published by LexisNexis. In May, she co-chaired the Law Society of Ontario’s fourth annual Mental Health Summit for Legal Professionals. She spoke with CL talk about mental health in the profession and why she thinks the new book she co-edited is ground-breaking. Beattie worked with judges, lawyers and senior leaders in the profession who shared their experiences of working while living with various types of mental health challenges. Beattie describes the summit that inspired the book as the most successful program in the LSO’s history.