Meet Our Graduates

Jonathan Cullen’s passion for the law started at an early age. In Grade 3, his class was asked what they want to be when they grow up — “… a laywer” was Jonathan’s misspelled answer. Growing up in Quebec City, he was a fan of Law and Order, a popular TV show.

William Randall is a multilingual world traveller and an outstanding volunteer, whose pursuit of a career in public sector law took him from Florida to Ottawa, then to Calgary, and now to Edmonton, where he is firmly established in the community — not to mention running a family cattle ranch in the United States. 

Theodore (Dela) Avle is the GC at Bruce Power, Canada’s first private nuclear generator on a 2,300-acre site along the shores of Lake Huron in Ontario. Dela leads an experienced team of high-performing legal and administrative professionals.

Steve Smyth is recognized as a collegial, experienced legal counsel with demonstrated success working in midstream oil and gas, infrastructure, construction, and transportation industries.
 

Mobolanle (Mo’) Depo-Fajumo spent her early years in southwest Nigeria, where she developed resilience, discipline, and a deep appreciation for education. Her family instilled in her values of integrity and curiosity, principles that still guide her today. Ironically, she chose law to avoid math, only to later specialize in tax and securities law — fields where numbers are everywhere!

When Rustam (Rusty) Juma, CIC. C took the role of General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Volkswagen Group Canada Inc. it marked another milestone in a distinguished legal career. A respected figure in the profession, he has built a reputation for excellence through his work across multiple countries and his dedication to community service, including time spent in the United States, Afghanistan, India, and Vietnam.

Originally from Provence, France, Soizic Reynal de St Michel embarked on her Canadian adventure to master English and continue her French literature studies through a PhD program at the University of Western Ontario. “As much as I love French Literature (…) I realized while I wrote my thesis that I did not want to pursue a career in the academic world,” Soizic explained.

Caroline Boutin has a wealth of legal and management experience. Formerly a partner at a firm in Montreal, Caroline Boutin moved in-house a decade ago to be Manager, Legal Affairs, Specialized Loans and Investments at Investissement Québec, and now Director of Legal Affairs at Boralex.

The importance of time was one of the big lessons Daniela O’Callaghan learned from the BLPIHC: “Time to pause and reflect, and identify and express what resources and supports you will need to succeed when taking on a new file, project or position.”

“The overlap of my in-house counsel and business advisor roles is growing as I become more senior within my organization, and as fellow senior management and executive become more aware of my expertise and experience,” says Michael Ladha, now Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary for Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.

Nafisa Tejani practiced at firms in Toronto and Vancouver before deciding to move into an in-house role in the public sector. “My first in-house role was challenging, as I had the mandate of demonstrating the value of building in-house legal capacity.” She integrated herself into various teams to provide legal support and was soon leading a number of projects. As a result, the organization promoted her to the newly created position of Director of Legal, Policy and Compliance.

Steven Dickson is no stranger to challenge and change. He has been in-house with the municipal sector for approximately 15 years, moving among three of the largest municipalities in Canada (Hamilton, Mississauga and Peel). While his current position is Senior Legal Counsel at The Regional Municipality of Peel, he was recently seconded into a new role as the Director, Housing Development Office, which oversees the entire housing development process for the Region.

“A former judge once told me to never be afraid of a new opportunity or challenge. While I may not feel equipped for it, I should have the confidence that I will figure it out,’” says Philip Milley, CIC.C. This advice has served him well, leading him to where he is today: Director Legal and Compliance, Canada, at the Mastercard Foundation.