Canada: Performance

The role of general counsel has changed considerably over the past decade. Where legal departments once operated primarily as internal advisors — reviewing contracts, managing disputes, ensuring compliance — today's senior in-house lawyers are increasingly expected to function as strategic business partners. They sit on executive committees. They advise on capital allocation and organizational design. They are present not just when legal issues arise, but at the table where the business is shaped.

Senior in-house lawyers rarely get the space to think. The demands of the role are relentless - the urgent matter, the inbox, the open door - and genuine strategic thinking is hard to protect when the operational pull never stops. The conversations that actually need to happen get deferred, again and again, in favour of whatever is most pressing today.

More than half of Canadian in-house lawyers reported increased work-related stress and anxiety in 2026. Volume of work has been the single greatest challenge at every job level for the third consecutive year. Government relations responsibilities are rising. Trust in institutions is not.

This January, Alexa Translations reached an important milestone as we continued to deepen our presence in the United Arab Emirates and the broader Gulf region.

CBA In-House Lawyers partners with Septeo Legal Suite to deliver strategic performance management training for senior counsel.

CBA In-House Lawyers launches four-part program recognizing unique career management needs of internal legal professionals.

On July 14, 2025, we discussed Justice Steele's order in the Earth Boring et al. CCAA proceeding which stayed claims against performance bonds.

Join Heather Barnhouse, Partner in our Edmonton office, as she explores women in leadership and entrepreneurship, and the ecosystem that supports them. In episode 80...

I am the type of person who spends a lot of time planning for the future. When I was 16, I developed a ten year plan: Attend Queen's University for the commerce program.