Lawyer,
Board Advisor,
Stuntman.

 
 

The thing about writing a website all about yourself is that it can be hard to know where to start. Maybe I’m not a typical lawyer though because let’s be honest, modesty is not usually one of our character attributes (but then again, I did just entice you to read more by telling you I’m a stuntman, so I clearly can’t be all that modest). So let me give you a summary.

My legal résumé spans 12+ years of being a lawyer and 10 years or so of business, entrepreneur, and “grown up” life experience before that (if you’re good at math, you’ll be able to guess my age now).

Law isn’t all I do, either. I've also had leadership roles in large organizations in corporate risk management and insurance. I’ve been the Privacy Officer for large North American companies operating in Canada and the United States as well.

I’m also an entrepreneur and have my own legal-tech startup.

More than just a “suit”, I have a lot of stories to tell from my personal adventures. Ask me the story about when I was held up at gun point and shot at in Argentina, that's a popular one.

 
 

My Experience.

Ramsay Law
(a boutique technology, privacy, governance, and corporate law firm)
2019 - Now

Caravel Law
(an exceptional convergence of legal talent delivered in a client-friendly model)
2020 - Now

I have my own boutique law firm (Ramsay Law) and I also practice law as counsel with Caravel Law as fractional General Counsel to several organizations. I work in a lot of industries, but these are the main ones.

  • I’ve worked with payment processors, procurement software providers, insurance companies, and financial analytics technology companies.

  • I’ve worked with automated and smart home software and technology providers, automated property management and maintenance platforms, and real estate analytics and data mining software companies.

  • I’ve worked with several legal tech startups, including records management, deal flow management, and document automation companies. I also have my very own legal tech startup, which makes me uniquely positioned as a lawyer to understand the complexities of the privacy world.

  • I’ve worked with online course, safety, and compliance management platforms.

  • I’ve worked with various small to large e-commerce providers, including physical and digital product e-commerce platforms and retailers.

  • I was senior legal counsel for 7 years with one of North America’s largest land development and real estate enterprises. Since then, I’ve worked with large and small organizations from many industries on commercial leasing matters for manufacturing, storage, office, and light industrial purposes.

  • From cutting edge psychedelics companies to medical device and software providers, I’ve had the opportunity to jump into the fast-paced medical tech sector.

  • I’ve worked with food, grocery, and restaurant ordering aggregation and delivery platforms.

  • I’ve worked with software providers in the plant and equipment automation space.

  • I’ve worked with companies creating transformative infotainment, safety, and productivity software in the automobile industry.

  • One of my favourite spaces to work in is the clean-tech industry. I’ve worked with promising clean technology companies, including a sustainable technology innovator revolutionizing sustainable packaging with 100% compostable and affordable plant-based solutions. Read more here.

Founder of Made It Legal
(a transformative legal-tech startup)
2019 - now

Made It Legal is my small, but growing, legal-tech startup. We automate legal drafting for small businesses and provide an online marketplace for professional lawyer services.

Brookfield Properties Development
Director, Legal Counsel; Privacy Officer; Corporate Secretary
2012 - 2019

  • For the 7 years that I worked with Brookfield Properties Development (before that, Brookfield Residential Properties) as the Director - Legal Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Privacy Officer, I worked on numerous cross-border transactions, including acquiring several companies in Canada and the United States. I directly coordinated all aspects of due diligence on both sides of the border, managing complex inter-jurisdictional issues and liaising with external counsel in both Canada and the United States. During my time at the company, we closed many high value transactions, often under tight deadlines and challenging deal structures.

  • Working directly with the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, I led the company’s governance program and assisted with all corporate secretarial functions, including advising the Board of Directors and their committees on effective corporate governance in both public and private company contexts.

  • I led a team of paralegals for the company’s corporate structure management. With a substantial presence in Canada, the United States, and overseas, liaising directly with the company’s internal and external tax advisors I was responsible for managing our structure of corporate subsidiaries, partnerships, and limited liability companies to properly protect corporate assets on both sides of the border.

  • I managed and reported to the Board of Directors at all quarterly meetings regarding any significant litigation.

  • I was Chair of the company’s policies committee, responsible for the Code of Conduct and many other internal company-wide policies. Working with the company’s Chief Financial Officer and the Internal Compliance team, I assisted with several other internal policies, including related party transactions, employee benefits, whistle-blower procedures, anti-bribery and corruption compliance, and procurement matters.

  • I was the company’s Privacy Officer, responsible for creating a privacy policy and program that was compliant in both Canada and the US across many provincial and state borders.

Bennett Jones LLP
Associate
2009 - 2012

In my 3 years at Bennett Jones, I was an associate in the corporate-commercial, private equity, and financial services practice groups, servicing clients from a variety of industries including energy, construction, banking, aviation, and transportation.

RSA Canada
Commercial Insurance Underwriter
2005 - 2006

In my nearly two years at RSA Canada, I was responsible for underwriting commercial auto risks in a wide variety of industries, including long-haul dangerous good transportation. I gained valuable experience in auto, property, and special risk insurance structures. In my time at the company, I was noted for nearly doubling our small business commercial auto insurance book of business.

 

My Education.

 
 
 

University of Alberta
JD, Law
2006-2009

University of Calgary
Bachelor of Commerce (Finance and Risk Management), Minor in Political Science
With Distinction
2001-2005

 
 

Beyond the Résumé:
Your Company has Personalty,
So Should Your Lawyer.

 
 

Paragliding and aviation

I love to paraglide and I’ve been doing it for several years now. I also have my pilot’s license for single engine aircraft and sailplanes, although I am working on my currency status (I can definitely take off and land, don’t worry).

My longest paragliding flight was 4 hours in the mountains of California, a personal best for me, and the highest I’ve flown is about 3,000 meters (10,000 feet).

Yes, I’ve jumped off cliffs to do it. It still scares me every time, but you also feel very alive when you soar off into the valley.

Ask me about it and I will talk your ear off.

Photo credit: My daughter, Brooklyn, who frequently reminds me of her copyright and moral rights of attribution for this photo.

 

Krav Maga

Krav Maga is a self defense system used by the Israeli military. It’s widely recognized as one of the most realistic and effective self defense systems in the world.

I’ve been training in Krav Maga for several years now and love it. It’s a great way to increase your confidence, ability to handle stress, and protect yourself in the unlikely event of a self defense scenario. Soon I will be starting a school to teach Krav Maga, you’re welcome to join once it starts.

 

Kiteboarding

Kiteboarding has been a passion of mine for several years as well. I kite on the water in the summer months and on the snow in the winter. With kiting, you can rush across terrain and water as fast as the wind will take you and jump 20 feet high (or more). It’s also a great way to travel. One of my favourite kiteboarding trips was to an off the beaten path area in Baja Mexico where I stayed on the beach in an old run down Airstream trailer.

 

Travel

I love to travel. I lived in Argentina for a few years in my twenties and ever since, I’ve been a serial explorer. When I travel, I try to have as much of an immersive experience as possible. As an example, I explored Palestine using public buses and negotiated car hires. I find an authentic experience, like that one, creates perspective.

Some highlights of my travels include a three week trip all around Peru (including Machu Picchu), meeting the Cuban Frank Sinatra in Havana, having tea with some Bedouin in the desert of Wadi Rum, hiking high above the Treasury in Petra, and paragliding in the jungles of Costa Rica.

I took this picture in Petra, Jordan.

 
 

Let's Work Together.

Book a free consult or ask me to get in touch with you.

Not wanting to book a meeting? No problem.
Send me a message and I’ll get in touch.