advisory board

Shanin Lott

Shanin Lott is Managing Director, Talent and Professional Resources.  She is responsible for leading the overarching talent management strategy and overseeing all people functions as they relate to lawyers, law clerks, students and business services professionals. This is a diverse role requiring legal, human resources, organizational development and people management expertise. Shanin is responsible for developing talent programs to align with broader firm strategic plans. She works closely with practice group heads and firm senior leaders to develop innovative recruitment strategies to attract, retain and advance the best people and to create a diverse and inclusive firm culture. 

Prior to this role Shanin was a lawyer practicing Corporate Commercial Litigation in the Toronto office. She then spent several years practicing law in New York City where she specialized in complex criminal and civil white-collar defense and securities litigation.

Shanin leads the engagement strategy and diversity initiatives. The firm has been rated as one of Canada’s 50 Best Employers (Aon Hewitt) for the last 7 years and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers (Mediacorp Canada) for four of the last five. 

Shanin frequently gives interviews on a range of Talent, HR and Diversity topics including to Lexpert Magazine, The Lawyers Weekly and the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion. She is also a frequent speaker, including recently speaking on unconscious bias at the Women Legal Conference in May 2016, American Bar Association’s Women in M&A Task Force Meeting in April 2016, at the Conference Board of Canada in October 2015 and at the Catalyst Awards Conference in New York City in March 2015. 

Shanin was honoured with the 2014 Zenith Award for her people-management strategy, commitment to diversity, and the advancement of women. In 2013, Shanin was named one of Profiles in Diversity Journal’s “Women Worth Watching”, recognizing her advancement of diversity and inclusion principles through strategies and initiatives promoted in business and the community.

Wendi Locke

Wendi Locke is a partner with McCarthy Tétrault LLP in its Business Law Group in Toronto. She advises on a broad range of corporate and securities law matters, including corporate governance and compliance issues. Wendi regularly acts on both public and private offerings of equity and debt securities in Canada, with an emphasis on initial public offerings, medium term note programs and the issuance of capital trust securities by financial institutions. She frequently acts on behalf of Canadian issuers in connection with cross border securities offerings into jurisdictions such as the United States and United Kingdom. Wendi is also an instructor for the advanced securities law programs offered by the University of Western Ontario and University of Windsor law schools.

Wendi received her BA (Public Administration) from the University of Western Ontario in 1995, her B.Comm. (Hons.) from the University of Windsor in 1997 and her combined MBA/LLB from the University of Windsor in 2000. She was called to the Ontario bar in 2002.