In-House Counsel - Fall 2010

tellectual property and trademarks. “The decisions don’t have to
be made through me but I do have to be kept aware of evolving
issues or of how things are taking shape in order to make sure
that people aren’t duplicating work,” explained Carrothers.
RBC has taken another tack. Shortly after Allgood exclusively
took over the reins of the RBC’s legal department in 2004, he
reorganized its reporting lines. Shelving its former model, which
had many of the bank’s lawyers reporting to their business lines,
Allgood introduced a centralized management structure that
compelled in-house lawyers to directly or indirectly report to the
general counsel’s office. At the same time, however, he dispersed
his staff throughout the business so that they can deal with the
day-to-day issues that need to be addressed. “I view it as the
best of two worlds,” remarked Allgood. “Lawyers, while work-
ing closely with the business and supporting the business, have
a direct line up through the legal chain if something needs to be
escalated without impediments.”
While Desjardins points out there is not “a one size that fits
all” because it all depends on the company and its line of busi-
ness, he does believe that the legal team must be very close to
the operation “so that when projects are launched or a matter
is being discussed, lawyers are on the table and not a hundred
miles away.”
But no matter what reporting structure is put in place, it
will all be for naught if people on the legal team do not stay in
touch. Communication is crucial and it is the general counsel
that sets the tone. “The more you communicate with your team,
the more efficient it is,” said Desjardins. “The more a team is
glued together, the better the team is.” Modern technology has
certainly helped shrink the globe. E-mail is a natural. Webcasts
that broadcast town hall meetings or offer training courses have
become par for the course. So too have conference calls or vid-
eoconferencing. More traditional vehicles such as newsletters
can do the trick as well.

MARGOT PAT TERSON | FMC OT TAWA

Margot Patterson joins FMC’s IP, Communications Law and Entertainment | Sports | Media Groups

FMC is proud to welcome Margot Patterson, a highly-respected consultant in the communications and intellectual property sectors. Designated by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a Certified Specialist in Copyright, Margot brings more than 10 years’ experience advising and advocating on matters pertaining to copyright and communications law.