Sudevi Mukherjee-Gothi is a member of the Insurance Defence Group at Torkin Manes LLP.   She is also Director of Student Programs at the firm.

In addition, Sudevi is on the executive of the Insurance Section of the Ontario Bar Association and a member of the Advocates’ Society.

Sudevi was called to the Ontario Bar in February 2002. She received her BA (Honours), with a Specialization in Political Science at York University, followed by law school at the University of Western Ontario. While at Western, Sudevi participated in the Niagara Moot Competition and successfully argued in the final round earning the Niagara Moot Trophy.

She has working knowledge of both French and Bengali.

Thomas Santram is in-house Legal Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Cineplex Entertainment LP.  Cineplex Entertainment is Canada’s largest motion picture exhibitor, serving approximately 64 million guests annually, and operating from British Columbia to Quebec.

Practice
Thomas is involved in all aspects of Cineplex Entertainment’s operations, including real estate law, commercial law, privacy law and government relations.  Immediately prior to joining Cineplex Entertainment, Thomas practiced commercial real estate law with a business law firm in the western GTA.
Education
B.F.A. (Hons.), York University (1988)
LL.B., University of Western Ontario (1993)
Called to the Ontario Bar (1995)
Memberships
South Asian Bar Association
Ontario Bar Association
Canadian Corporate Counsel Association
Association of Corporate Counsel

Co-Treasurer
Puja Varma

Puja Varma is an associate and member of McMillan LLP’s Debt Products Group. Her practice focuses on assisting clients with domestic and cross-border debt financing transactions including corporate lending, syndicated financing and asset-based lending.  Puja has also been involved in a number of public private partnership transactions.
Puja joined McMillan LLP as a summer student in 2005 and completed her articles with the firm in 2007.  She has also participated in secondments at Royal Bank of Canada and Honda Canada Finance Inc.

Education
B.B.A. (Hons.), Schulich School of Business, York University (2002)
LL.B., University of Western Ontario (2006)
Called to the Ontario Bar (2007)

Professional Memberships
South Asian Bar Association
Ontario Bar Association
Women in Capital Markets
Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce

Vice President, Events and Sponsorship
Shahana Kar

Shahana is a member of the Ontario and Alberta Bars.  In 1993, she began her career as a commercial litigator at Wilson, Vukelich, a boutique firm in Markham.  She then joined Cassels, Brock LLP where she practiced insolvency law and worked on complex bankruptcy and restructuring matters under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, many of which had cross-border elements.  Shahana then worked as in-house counsel at Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada and Manulife Financial before joining the Recovery Group of the Tax Law Section at the Department of Justice where she currently practices insolvency law.

Vice President, External Relations
Sundeep Sandhu

Sundeep is an associate in the Corporate/Commercial Group at Blaney McMurtry LLP in Toronto.    She articled with Blaney McMurtry LLP in 2006-2007, and returned to the firm after her call to the Bar in 2007.    Her current practice involves providing advice on corporate governance, divestitures and restructurings, secured lending and mergers and acquisitions.  Sundeep represents a wide-range of clients including entrepreneurs, privately held corporations, multinational corporations and not-for-profits.

Sundeep obtained a Specialized Honours in Public Policy and Administration from York University. She also obtained her LL.B from the University of Windsor where she was the recipient of the McTague Law Firm LLP Award for excellence in Business Law.

Professional Memberships:
South Asian Bar Association
Ontario Bar Association
Law Society of Upper Canada
Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Canada's Venture Capital & Private Equity Association

Director, GTA Affairs
Rishi Bandhu

Rishi is a lawyer with Crawford Chondon & Partners LLP, which provides legal services exclusively in the area of management-side labour and employment law.  He has practiced there since 2004, when he was called to the Bar. Rishi provides counsel and advocacy services to employers on all facets of the individual employment relationship and union-management issues. 

He has particular expertise in wrongful dismissal litigation, human rights matters, union certification issues and employment standards litigation.  Rishi is a graduate of the University of Toronto (1998) and Osgoode Hall Law School (2003).

Director and Secretary
Sheizana Murji

Sheizana is currently an associate in the Business Law Group at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Toronto.  She has a general corporate and commercial practice that includes corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and securities.

Sheizana completed a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in Political Science (2001) and an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in Economics (2002) at the University of Ottawa. In 2007, she completed a Joint LLB/MBA at Osgoode Hall Law School and the Schulich School of Business, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution from Carleton University.
 
Memberships
South Asian Bar Association
Ontario Bar Association
Law Society of Upper Canada

Director, Legal Liaison
Dal Bhathal

Dal joined The Counsel Network® in 1998 and currently serves as Chief Executive Office and Managing Director, Eastern Canada.  Her focus is on providing strategic advice relating to the successful recruitment of partners, general counsel and senior associates at premier law firms and major corporations in Eastern Canada and around the world.

Dal graduated with an LL.B. in 1989 and is a former member of the Law Society of England and Wales.  Prior to joining The Counsel Network®, she practiced employment law and civil litigation with one of the UK’s largest law firms.

Dal has extensive experience in the selection, management and training of lawyers.  She has completed a series of professional courses on effective management, team building, interview techniques, presentation skills and project management.  She has been retained by counsel to provide expert opinion on compensation for in-house counsel as well as being retained by counsel on a number of occasions to provide expert opinions relating to lawyer career issues and lawyer employability.  She has spoken at CBA conferences and section meetings, Canadian Corporate Counsel and IBA conferences, CLE seminars and law schools.  She has been instrumental in producing The Counsel Network®’s Annual In-House Counsel Compensation and Career Survey in association with The Canadian Corporate Counsel Association and Ipsos Reid.

Dal specializes in providing expert legal recruitment services for local and national firms at the partner level. Some of her accomplishments include successful placements at Blakes, McCarthy Tetrault, Borden Ladner Gervais, Aird and Berlis and Lang Michener to name but a few.   Dal also provides specialist recruitment services for in-house counsel positions across Canada and internationally.  She has worked with some of Canada’s most prominent companies including, Telus, Methanex, Placer Dome, Shoppers Drug Mart, Patheon, VANOC 2010 and RBC Financial Group.  She has placed lawyers of all levels and has an expertise in placing Senior and General Counsel.