My entire family is in mineral exploration and mining – it’s full of geologists, engineers, explorers. They joke that I was the black sheep for going into law, but I redeemed myself when I became a mining lawyer. As a lawyer and the National Co-Leader of Mining at McMillan LLP, I’m contributing to the exploration industry in a completely different way, but I stay connected to the same work that spans across generations in my family.
My work doesn’t look like what people picture when they think of exploration: I wear a suit instead of PPE, and spend my days in an office on calls and reviewing documents, helping companies navigate the law when it comes to acquiring properties, raising capital, and listing on stock exchanges, among other things. But before a single drill turns, there’s a wide legal foundation that I help establish so that exploration companies can move forward.
The environment that explorers and miners operate in is incredibly complex and triggers a host of obligations. I see my role as providing real-time, practical and efficient solutions for clients in the mineral exploration industry, so that they can spend their time on their projects and operations while I ensure they meet their compliance obligations from the outset. We like to say at McMillan LLP that we practice law at the speed of business, and in mining, people know that efficiency is key.
I may not be in the field, but I’m part of the process that makes mineral exploration possible, alongside many others whose contributions are essential to moving projects forward. And these projects moving forward is important in Canada moving forward; I’m optimistic that we will see more Canadians view the discoveries made by the mineral exploration industry as a fundamental part of Canada’s economy and its global competitiveness, providing jobs and opportunities across the country.