She will advise on AI-related matters with a cross-practice perspective
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP has named partner Hélène Deschamps Marquis its new artificial intelligence practice lead.
The firm confirmed that Marquis adds this role to her existing position as national co-lead of the privacy and cybersecurity team under the cybersecurity, privacy and data protection group. She has helped pan-Canadian and international organizations to mitigate technological risks in high-stakes mergers and acquisitions deals.
She has advised on legal and business risks related to cybersecurity, information technology, privacy, and AI. She has tackled matters involving breach and incident response, regulatory compliance, cyber governance, privacy impact assessments, AI tool planning and responsible deployment, and global data and privacy frameworks.
Marquis has negotiated complex cross-border technology arrangements and transactions; moreover, she has drafted technology agreements in contexts of electronic commerce, outsourcing, research and development, mergers and acquisitions, and financings. Her clients have included board members and general counsel in the energy, financial services, public sector, health care, and transportation sectors.
As BLG’s AI practice lead, she will advise on AI-related matters with a cross-practice perspective. The firm explained that business leaders across sectors face pressure to address ethical, regulatory and operational risks involving this technology, which include internal governance and oversight, industry and local regulatory compliance, related labour and employment concerns, commercial agreement structuring, AI venture financing, and points of intersection between everyday technology and continuous AI developments like generative AI.
“AI is rapidly becoming a ubiquitous technology across Canadian businesses. This growing integration means our clients are faced with an ever-expanding list of risks and opportunities involving AI, which require careful assessment and legal guidance,” says David Di Paolo, BLG’s incoming national managing partner and CEO, in a statement. “Under Hélène’s leadership, we are bringing together multidisciplinary teams of leading practitioners in corporate M&A, product liability, litigation and disputes, intellectual property, financial services and fintech, privacy, cybersecurity and regulatory law to offer our clients an unparalleled, and deeply practical, holistic view on AI.”
