Why More General Counsel Are Sending Lawyers To The Rotman Business Leadership Program

In-house legal departments are being asked to do more than manage risk. Across Canada, legal teams now carry responsibilities that extend well beyond traditional legal advice, such as compliance, investigations, government relations, and increasingly, company secretarial and ESG functions. The 2026 Canadian In-House Counsel Report found that a substantial share of in-house counsel now hold formal accountability in these areas, on top of their legal work.

For General Counsel building out a team, that shift raises a practical question: are the lawyers on your team equipped for it?

The gap formal legal training doesn't close

Law school and bar admission programs prepare lawyers to practise law. They don't prepare lawyers to read a P&L statement, sit credibly at the executive table, or advise on a decision where the legal answer is only one input among several. That gap shows up most clearly mid-career, when a strong legal mind is expected to start operating like a business leader — often without any formal training to bridge the two.

The Business Leadership Program for In-House Counsel, delivered through the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto in partnership with Dentons and LexisNexis, was built to close that exact gap. The 10-month program runs alongside full-time practice and focuses on financial fluency, strategic decision-making, governance, and executive communication — the competencies legal training doesn't typically cover, and the ones GCs say they need most from their senior counsel.

Why this is a GC decision, not just an individual one

Many employers already treat this program as part of formal leadership development. It's commonly positioned alongside succession planning, particularly for legal departments preparing a senior lawyer for broader business responsibility or a future General Counsel role.

Soizic Reynal de St Michel, General Counsel at TMG Builders, points to the shift in how she's perceived internally since completing the program: the CEO, she says, now treats no major decision as final without input from her team. Another graduate, Rustam Juma, now General Counsel at Volkswagen Group Canada, credits the program directly with his career transition — the CIC.C designation, he says, played a role in moving him into that seat.

More than 42% of graduates have been promoted since completing the program. That figure reflects what GCs already know intuitively: lawyers who can operate at the business level get pulled into more rooms, and stay there.

What's required, practically

The program is designed for working professionals — self-directed online learning, live virtual sessions, and two in-person modules in Toronto — so it doesn't require a leave of absence or a reduced caseload. Funding options exist to offset the cost, including the Canada Job Grant (which can cover up to two-thirds of tuition for eligible employers) and structured payment plans. A business case template is available for lawyers who need to make the request internally, and CBA In-House Lawyers will work directly with employers considering tuition support.

Graduates earn the Certified In-House Counsel – Canada (CIC.C) designation upon completion — the only credential in Canada built specifically to recognize in-house legal expertise.

The window is closing

Applications for the September 2026 cohort are being accepted on a rolling basis until August 14, 2026. Given the program's limited cohort size, GCs considering this for a team member — or for themselves — should not wait until the deadline to start the conversation.

For more information, or to be connected with a program graduate, contact certification@cbainhouse.org or visit the Rotman Business Leadership Program for In-House Counsel website.

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