Christopher established ZSA (Zarak, Sweeney & Associates) Legal Recruitment, now Canada’s largest and only national legal recruitment firm, in 1997. ZSA also controls ZSA-X, a boutique financial services recruitment firm; LexLocom, a contract legal services firm; and ZSA Accounting. In addition to being CEO of ZSA, Christopher also exclusively recruits Partners and General Counsel.

Born in Montreal, Christopher attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from McGill University and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1990, Christopher briefly practised in Vancouver before moving to London, England. There he secured a Graduate Business Degree from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a Masters in British Imperial History from London University. Christopher practised law in London before becoming a legal recruiter with QD (Quarry Dougall), then the pre-eminent global legal recruitment firm based in London.

 

Christopher founded both the Canadian (CGCA) and Quebec General Counsel Awards (PCJQ) to bring deserved attention to the senior in-house legal community. Christopher has written and spoken widely on the topic of legal recruitment, firm development and career strategy.

Christopher has a passion for history and in 2002 initiated the “Re-Trial of Louis Riel”, a nationally-televised mock trial featuring, amongst others, Eddie Greenspan, Alan Lenczner, and Guy Bertrand. Christopher is a Board Member of the Vimy Foundation, a charity dedicated toward ensuring Canadians remember and honour their First World War efforts and sacrifice. With the Vimy Foundation he initiated the Vimy Pin campaign, whose goal it is to have all Canadians wear a memorial pin each April 9, and the Vimy Ridge Pilgrimage Medal campaign dedicated to saluting Canadians who visit the Vimy Memorial in France. In 2010, Christopher was awarded the Minister of Veteran’s Affairs Commendation for his efforts in raising awareness for the accomplishments of Canada’s Veterans and in 2012 Christopher was presented with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Christopher is also a Board Member of the Shakespeare Globe Company of Canada, on the Advisory Committee of the Cundill Prize for History at McGill University, and is an active member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and the Albany Club. Christopher is married with three children, enjoys travelling; skiing; spending time at his cottage in the Laurentians; the “Habs”; history; politics; and wine.

Andrew Black

President & CEO | Virgin Mobile Canada

'I was extremely impressed with the quality and speed of service we received from ZSA in assisting our search for our V.P. General Counsel position. Warren Bongard and Christopher Sweeney were quick to understand and access our needs and culture. They presented us an excellent pool of accomplished, top quality candidates from which to choose. They were prompt, responsive and highly professional. They added significant value to our search efforts. I would highly recommend the services of ZSA to any firm or company looking to attract high quality legal talent.'

Winn Oughtred

Managing Partner | Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Senior legal counsel | Praxair Canada, Inc.

'Throughout our seven-year history with ZSA, they have proven a valuable partner time and again. In particular, I am pleased with the excellent service we receive from Warren Bongard, Christopher Sweeney and others at ZSA. Their dedication to our relationship is impressive, their knowledge of the Canadian legal scene is excellent and the candidates they bring match what we are looking for. I highly recommend ZSA.'

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• In-house intriguing career option - Financial Post

• Job mobility opens up job opportunities - Postmedia News

• Hire Power - LEXPERT

Warren established his own legal recruitment firm in 1996 before co-founding ZSA Legal Recruitment in 1997. Warren manages lawyer recruitment operations and focuses his practice on partner level hires, special in-house assignments, legal team moves and law firm mergers.

Warren obtained his law degree from the University of Western Ontario, his Bachelor of Arts degree from York University and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1993. Prior to co-founding ZSA, he practiced law for several years in the corporate finance department of Blaney, McMurtry, LLP. During his time there, Warren established a successful professional sports agency firm, specializing in the representation of NHL players. Warren's considerable experience and track record make him a sought after speaker on the subject of legal recruitment, retention and law firm management.

He is currently sitting on the board of The York School, an independent school in Toronto (“TYS”) and the University of Western Ontario Law Alumni Association (“UWOLAA”). Warren is currently President of UWOLAA and is a past President of the Entrepreneurs Organization, Toronto Chapter (“EO”).

Tracy Connelly McGilley

VP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary Vector Aerospace

Vector Aerospace was looking to hire an Associate General Counsel. We contacted Warren as I had worked with him before in the past. Overall, my experience in working with Warren was excellent! What I appreciated the most was the very qualified short list of candidates with different experience. I would definitely use ZSA again!

Krista Derksen

Director, Human Resources | Canadian Bankers Association

'I’ve relied on ZSA Legal recruiters to perform more than 100 searches over the course of 15 years. Working with ZSA significantly reduces my time-to-hire. They move quickly, wasting no time in presenting me with quality candidates. This is evidence of the strong relationships they maintain within the market of senior-level legal professionals. I also find ZSA very adept at making new connections and finding individuals with unique skill sets when I present them with a challenging candidate profile to fulfill.

My main contact at ZSA, Warren Bongard, is a highly ethical, dedicated and professional recruiter. Over the years Warren has helped me find and hire securities lawyers, general counsel, litigators, and clerical staff – and his track record remains virtually infallible.'

Andrew Black

President & CEO | Virgin Mobile Canada

'I was extremely impressed with the quality and speed of service we received from ZSA in assisting our search for our V.P. General Counsel position. Warren Bongard and Christopher Sweeney were quick to understand and access our needs and culture. They presented us an excellent pool of accomplished, top quality candidates from which to choose. They were prompt, responsive and highly professional. They added significant value to our search efforts. I would highly recommend the services of ZSA to any firm or company looking to attract high quality legal talent.'

Winn Oughtred

Managing Partner | Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Senior legal counsel | Praxair Canada, Inc.

'Throughout our seven-year history with ZSA, they have proven a valuable partner time and again. In particular, I am pleased with the excellent service we receive from Warren Bongard, Christopher Sweeney and others at ZSA. Their dedication to our relationship is impressive, their knowledge of the Canadian legal scene is excellent and the candidates they bring match what we are looking for. I highly recommend ZSA.'

• Warren speaks about ZSA | Video

  It’s up to mentors to help young professionals stave off youthful arrogance - Legal Post

  ZSA acts as cross-border matchmaker - Legal Post

  Law firm hiring up - The Lawyers Weekly

  Corporate in-house counsel on the increase

Salima joined ZSA in December of 2002. As a Managing Consultant, she focuses on advising and placing associates in law firms and in-house counsel positions in Toronto.

Originally from British Columbia, Salima obtained her law degree from the University of Windsor and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University. She articled in Vancouver and was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1997. Salima’s background as in-house counsel at Intergulf Development Corporation and private practice at Jeffrey & Calder makes her uniquely positioned to assist associates contemplating a career change. In her spare time, Salima likes to cook, workout and spend time with her family.

Arie Itman

In-House Senior Legal Counsel | General Mills Canada

I have used ZSA in Toronto for approximately 3.5 years now, as Salima helped me find my previous job, as well as my current position as In-House Senior Legal Counsel for General Mills Canada. I find that both ZSA and Salima are at the top of their game. My experience working with Salima was great! She has always been very helpful, and took the time to understand my needs and interests. She always made herself available, and was pleasant to work with. I never had a problem reaching Salima and I feel she was really invested in helping me find a position. I really feel Salima makes a strong effort to get to know her clients, understands their concerns and needs, and really focuses on helping secure a position that meets the client's criteria. Moreover, Salima understands the market and the legal world, and provides excellent advice. I would highly recommend her to my colleagues and I will definitely use her services again in the future if the need arises. I am completely satisfied with my experience, both with Salima and ZSA.

Mireille Bergeron

Assistant General Counsel, Labour and Employment Law | Bell Canada

Bell Canada was looking for Senior Counsel. We contacted ZSA as a result of our long standing relationship. Overall, our experience in working with Salima Alibhai was great. Salima really understood what type of person I was and what type of candidate I was looking for. She was able to submit excellent candidates. She brought a lot of value to the hiring process in several ways. I am not from Ontario so I could never have find any candidate. In addition, I found that Salima provided great information on the candidates before the interviews and she was extremely helpful in arranging for the interviews. I have only used ZSA in the past, and will continue to use ZSA for years to come.

Sudha Dwivedi

PHH Arval

The nature of the position for which we were hiring was assistant general counsel. Before contacting ZSA, we had it posted ads on different internal company websites, Workopolis, and 3 or 4 large law firm for referrals with our network and with no luck. A colleague told us about ZSA and we clicked on Salima’s name. Our experience in working with Salima was fantastic! She was extremely collaborative, communicative, and the turn-around response was great between her and her assistant Cynthia. The fact is that search consultants make a big difference as they speak the same language and know what the profession is, and what it looks like in different industries. There is a better understanding of what the requirements are and a good knowledge of the field of industry and what the employment industry looks like for attorneys. Salima also provided good insight into the compensation as well. If I had to hire another attorney I would come back to ZSA. I used a different firm two years ago to fill the same role, and, although they were good a good firm, I would have rather used ZSA. I would absolutely use the services of ZSA again, and would definitely recommend them to all my HR friends.

Emily is a senior consultant with nearly 10 years of recruiting experience. She works on placing lawyers of all levels in law firms and in-house counsel positions, including General Counsel roles.

Originally from New Brunswick, Emily obtained both her law and political science degrees from Dalhousie University. She articled with the Halifax office of McInnes Cooper and was called to both the Nova Scotia and Ontario Bars in 2003 before joining ZSA in January 2004.

Emily strives to be active in the legal community by conducting workshops, speaking at seminars, appearing on panels, attending conferences and networking events and writing articles. She has been published in the Law Times and writes a regular feature entitled "8 Questions" for the ZSA website, which profiles top practitioners. Emily is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, and the Women’s Law Association of Ontario.

In her spare time, Emily enjoys travelling and spending time with her husband and 2 young children. She is also currently President of the Board of Directors of Life-Bridge Child Care.

Ravinder Shawe

Commercial Counsel & Local Compliance Officer I Trench Limited (a Siemens Company)

“Emily is perfect for her role as recruiter - she's very personable and professional, and knows the legal industry extremely well. While I was transitioning from private practice to in-house, Emily spent a great deal of time helping me, not only through the initial candidate assessments and interviews, but through the entire transition into my new position. Emily followed up with me on a regular basis to see how I was fitting in and how I liked the role. She is highly skilled at matching her candidates with the best position suited to their skills, personality, and goals. I strongly recommend Emily as a recruiter, to anyone looking to make the same jump from private legal practise to an in-house counsel role.”

Jennifer Labrecque

Vice President Sales Ontario Market | Timber Block

"Emily is a very personable recruiter who understands the stress associated with job hunting and the demands of the legal profession. Whether you are looking to add a talented legal mind to your team or whether you are thinking about making a career change; I would recommend that you give Emily Lee a call first!"

Kerry O'Reilly

Head of Legal, Corporate, and Corporate Secretary | Vale

"Emily is amazing. She is strategic and very detailed oriented. In addition - she is a wonderful person. I would highly recommend Emily."

Binita Jacob

Commercial Counsel, Health Care | Siemens Canada

"Emily is absolutely a stellar recruiter and a wonderful person. As a candidate looking to transition from the public sector to the private sector, Emily took the time to listen to me and understand my background and capabilities. Her personalized and pragmatic approach is what won me over. Emily found me the perfect legal role at Siemens Canada and guided me through the entire process. I also got to know her warm and friendly personality. For all those candidates and clients who have the good fortune of being represented by Emily, you are in the best hands."

Alex Teijeira

Group Manager and Senior Counsel, Employee and Labour Relations | Target

"Of the many recruiting firms I have dealt with, ZSA has clearly proven to be an outstanding partner. I found the team to be very motivated and exceptionally driven to deliver. Emily Lee, specifically, understood our business requirements and surpassed my expectations in servicing our organization. She is very talented and an excellent resource in the recruitment field. Anyone looking to hire a legal professional should contact Emily directly."

• 8 Questions Series  - ZSA

For more than 5 years Angela has provided career management advice to articling students, NCA students and junior associates. She has worked with the Law Society of Upper Canada and several Canadian law schools since 2006, developing and presenting a number of job search, interview preparation, networking and other career management workshops as well as proving one-on-one counseling sessions. Angela routinely participates in career-focused symposiums and panel discussions for law students.

Angela was called to the Ontario Bar in 2003 and began practicing law in the area of civil litigation. She joined ZSA as a Legal Recruitment Consultant in 2006 and began handling recruitment assignments for many of Canada's leading law firms and in-house legal departments.

Angela is available to meet personally with you to review your cover letter and CV, discuss your interview style and provide you with practical job search advice.

As a senior consultant, Rebecca handles recruitment assignments for many of Canada's leading law firms and in-house legal departments in Toronto and Ottawa. Prior to joining ZSA, Rebecca practiced employment law and commercial litigation at a Toronto based litigation boutique and at a Calgary based litigation boutique where she completed her articles. As such, Rebecca has experience in and knowledge of both the Calgary and Toronto markets.

Rebecca is originally from Nova Scotia and obtained a law degree from Dalhousie Law School and her undergraduate degree from St. Mary's University both in Halifax. She was called to both the Alberta and Ontario Bar in 2003.

Anonymous Testimonial

I was hired as a Senior Attorney with the help of ZSA, namely Rebecca Toth. I was contacted by Rebecca, with whom I had interviewed with years before. Overall, I really liked Rebecca's work on my behalf and my experience with ZSA. I really appreciated that she was quite diligent in contacting me with job opportunities that she felt fit my profile. I have used other recruiters in the past, but ZSA and specifically Rebecca has out-performed other firms who have contacted me in the past.

Anonymous Testimonial

'Working with Rebecca was like working with a good friend - I always felt confident that she had my best interests at heart and knew exactly what I was looking for in a position. Unlike other recruiters, who leave you feeling forgotten the moment you walk out of their offices, Rebecca made me feel like a priority and regularly followed up with me with details about new opportunities and/or to see how I was doing. From the beginning to the end Rebecca was professional, friendly and committed.'

Anonymous Testimonial

'Rebecca works with numerous candidates, yet she always managed to make me feel like I was the most important one. Finding a job can be a difficult process, but Rebecca’s professional, friendly and calming demeanour made the process a lot less stressful. Rebecca followed up with me regularly and never recommended a position that she didn’t think was perfect for me. Thanks to Rebecca’s hard work and dedication I found a job that I greatly enjoy.'

• Mapping Your Road to Success  - ZSA

Dan joined ZSA in 2006 after previous marketing and business development positions at Baker & McKenzie; the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association; Canada Basketball and Nike Canada. As the Director of Programming and Events at ZSA, he focuses on the creation and execution of events that bring the Canadian legal community together. Examples include the ZSA series of General Counsel Award programmes including the Canadian GC Awards; the Quebec GC Awards and the Western Canada GC Awards. He also was the co founder of the Quorum Club, an invitation only event for General Counsel now in its 14th year in Canada. In addition to those programmes Dan helps co-ordinate ZSA events with the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) as well as breakfast briefings with Canadian law firms and lawyers from both the private bar and in-house bar.

Dan obtained his law degree from Osgoode Hall law School and a BA in Political Science and Economics from the University of Toronto. He was privileged to article with Mr Justice Sopinka at Stikeman Elliot Robarts and Bowman (as it then was) and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1980. In his spare time, Dan enjoys traveling on a global basis and following the fortunes of the Raptors and the Blue Jays.

W. David Jamieson | 2011 CGCA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

Executive Vice President and Corporate Secretary J. D. Irving, Limited

Dan, Many thanks for all your assistance with the Canadian General Counsel Awards. You were there with support from the very first announcement through the evening and the event at the Four seasons Hotel and all proceeded smoothly. Your particular advice and direction to me was most useful and timely and is very much appreciated. The Monday night event was very impressive. It was definitely a first class operation. The whole event was professionally done, well thought out and planned, and the program and the presentations were excellent. I am greatly honored to have received the Lifetime Achievement award. The tribute video preceding my award was well done. I hope that my acceptance remarks were fitting and apropos for the award and the event. Again, thanks for your guidance and assistance.

Robert Soccio | 2011 CGCA Tomorrow’s Leader Finalist

General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Compliance Officer ArcelorMittal Dofasco

I would like to thank you for hosting the Canadian General Counsel Awards ceremony earlier this week. It was a fantastic event and everyone I had a chance to speak with thoroughly enjoyed themselves. As one of the award winners said, as general counsel we do not have many opportunities to interact with our colleagues at other companies and so I think that we all truly appreciate the opportunity you gave us to meet with the other leaders in the legal profession – I must say that to hear from David Jamieson was truly inspirational. The entire event was well organized and professional, qualities that I have come to expect from ZSA in our professional dealings and I cannot say enough about your Susan Kennedy and the support that she has given me over the years, especially with respect to rebuilding the ArcelorMittal Dofasco legal department. Again, the entire event from nomination process, to the promotional aspects, to the reception, and to the actually awards event was professionally organized and flawless in execution, which speaks to the talent of the ZSA team, and the caliber of the nominees and the other guests in attendance made it clear that this was the pre-eminent awards ceremony for general counsel in Canada – I am very pleased to have been a part of this very special event.

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