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On June 17, in-house lawyers filled the new offices of Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP in Toronto, Canada, for an evening conversation with Marie Henein — one of Canada's most recognized legal advocates — on the future of the rule of law in Canada. Registration hit capacity well before the event, a signal of where the profession's attention is right now.
Henein's remarks centred on what's at stake for Canadian institutions amid rising polarization and eroding public trust: the role of an independent legal profession, including in-house lawyers, as a check on those pressures. She didn't offer a comfortable read of the moment, but she did offer the room a clear directive: be fearless. Don't be afraid to push back.
For in-house lawyers, who advise from inside an organization rather than from the relative distance of private practice, that framing lands differently. Pushing back internally on a deal, policy, or decision carries its own institutional weight. Henein's talk treated that pressure as part of the job, not an obstacle to it.
"The conversation was a good reminder that we, as in-house counsel, have an obligation to protect the rule of law in Canada by having discussions with the communities where we live and work about its importance in our society and the foundations that uphold it," says Bianca Thomas, Senior Counsel at BMO and moderator for the evening.
The evening closed with audience questions and a reception, capping an exclusive event built specifically for this audience.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the CBA In-House Lawyers website.
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