Leading with impact

Giuliana (Julie) Di Lorenzo

President, Mirabella Development Corporation (Diamante Legacy Company)
GPLLM 2020, Business Law concentration

What sparked your interest in the GPLLM program?

I appreciate the role of the law in all business transactions, whether municipal law, contracts, competition, governance, intellectual property, corporate social responsibility, all are critical to underpinning success in business. The GPLLM has exceptional faculty and support staff. The course material was current and strategically important. The time frame required for completion and success in the GPLLM was manageable, for me, as someone who runs a large company. I also served on an important board where knowledge of governance skills, competition law and contracts were critical, and the GPLLM allowed me to be very effective. 

What was your favourite GPLLM course?

It is a good sign that I can say all! Competition Law and Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility were my absolute favourites, although I can say I enjoyed every single class in every subject I took.

Tell us about your work since you graduated. How has GPLLM helped contribute to your professional advancement?

I am completing $500 million and a $200 million residential condominium projects and have a few redevelopment sites in the portfolio. I have fine-tuned my ability to think strategically and appreciate the legal context in all aspects of my work from real estate closings, contracts, marketing and sales, purchasing, financing and partnership agreements and share transfer agreements.

I am also an active philanthropist, and I was able to use new legal skills to promote the interests of a homeless shelter and procure contracts to create an important public work of art – inspired coincidently by artwork at the law school based on the environment and the law.

What were some of the benefits of enrolling in this intensive program?

The schedule was intense but manageable. The concentration of the workload and classes allowed me to complete the degree in less than one year. The benefit of the intensive program is that I also was able to cross pollinate material from one course to another. For example, we would be discussing a company in competition class and we would have encountered the same case study in the Intellectual property class or governance class. The material intersected from one class to another, which allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of the subjects.

What challenge are you looking forward to next in your profession?

I would like to grow my business further in scale and impact, and the tools from my GPLLM will be of benefit. I plan to incorporate new technology and ideas into our work, and the IP course provided me a better understanding of the issues surrounding commercialization of innovation. I am motivated to implement more green initiatives, and the Corporate Social Responsibility course offered various platforms and options in that regard. I appreciate that there has been a consolidation of 'players' in the real estate, construction and development, and source material and case studies around competition law are more relevant than ever.

To say that my GPLLM invigorated my mind is an understatement. I will use what I learned from the curriculum and my peers, faculty and staff, to be more effective serving my community. It was one of the most rewarding, fulfilling endeavors of my career.

Rico Ruilei Liu

Legal Counsel, Interac Corp.
GPLLM 2019, Canadian Law and Business Law concentration

What sparked your interest in the GPLLM program?

After completing legal studies in the UK, I wanted to continue my legal education with a focus of the Canadian context. Not only would the Canadian Law concentration allow me to satisfy the NCA accreditation requirements efficiently, the courses offered within the Business Law and Innovation, Law and Technology streams fit my interests, perfectly. The program was a unique and exceptional opportunity for me to realize my learning objectives and exploring for career development paths.  

What was your favourite GPLLM course?

Intellectual Property and Strategy; Law and Regulation of Banks and Financial Institutions; Law of Software Development and Commercialization; Design Thinking; and Contract Law Business Organizations.

Tell us about your work since you graduated. How has GPLLM helped contribute to your professional advancement?

After I graduated, I joined Interac Corp.’s Legal department as articling student and was hired back as Legal Counsel after I was called to the Bar in 2020. The GPLLM program equipped me with a wealth of foundational knowledge of Canadian laws and the interplay of law and technologies. More importantly, the program cultivated my passion and bolstered my confidence in pursuing a legal career in the financial technology world. While acting as a trusted legal advisor to the organization’s business groups on a variety of matters at the intersection of technology and financial services, I have great opportunities to put into exciting practices the knowledge and skills that I gained in the program, for instance, IP strategy development and software commercialization considerations. Sometimes when I am faced with a particular issue, I would still go back to my course notes to brush up my knowledge and inspiration.  

What were some of the benefits of enrolling in this intensive program?

The intensive program allowed me to satisfy the NCA accreditation requirements quite efficiently. I also truly enjoyed the networking aspect of the program. I was able to meet and connect with exceptional individuals with diverse professional backgrounds. The engaging, thought-provoking courses allowed us to have in-depth discussions with each other and the professor. I think we all appreciated the opportunity to learn and have meaningful connections with each other. 

What challenge are you looking forward to next in your profession?
 
I look forward to developing a legal career in the commercial technology sphere. I am fascinated by topics surrounding open banking, digital identification, software commercialization and privacy. I hope to continue to learn more on these topics and explore more particularly the roles of legal professionals in facilitating business, innovation and technological advancement and in empowering people to participate safely and equally in the future of the digital economy. 

Shaun Mehta   

Emergency Physician, St. Michael’s Hospital & North York General Hospital
Assistant Professor, Clinician in Quality & Innovation, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
2019 GPLLM, Innovation, Law & Technology concentration

What sparked your interest in the GPLLM program?

I have a keen interest in using digital solutions to improve the safety, delivery and overall patient experience of health care. Given that health care is a highly regulated industry, barriers to successfully implement certain technologies often involve legal and privacy issues. I enrolled in the GPLLM program to learn how to navigate these ​challenges​ and have more informed conversations with key stakeholders who influence the success of health care innovation.

What was your favourite GPLLM course?

The Law of Disruptive Technologies & Artificial Intelligence

Tell us about your work since you graduated. How has GPLLM helped contribute to your professional advancement?

Since graduating, I have served as a faculty preceptor for a master's program affiliated with U of T and am currently ​evaluating the use of electronic health record systems in the emergency department. From an academic perspective, I have written a number of peer-reviewed publications describing the use of artificial intelligence, blockchain, radiofrequency identification and other technologies in medicine. I hope to educate my colleagues and bring transparency to these digital solutions, allow for their critical appraisal and foster collaboration broadly.

From a clinical perspective, I am serving as co-lead for virtual emergency services at my hospital. In December 2020, we implemented a virtual emergency care program in coordination with Ontario Health and continue to iterate our offerings to bring value to our community.

Since graduating, I have served as a faculty preceptor for a master’s program affiliated with U of T and am currently studying the optimization of electronic health record system use in the emergency department. With this project I hope to improve the workflow of health care providers as well as the safety of patients seeking emergency care.

I have also been involved in consulting with health care start ups and strive to foster public-private sector partnerships to improve the uptake and success of innovative solutions. Many of our system’s weaknesses were exposed with the COVID-19 pandemic and so I think it is a better time than ever for this to happen.

What were some of the benefits of enrolling in this intensive program?

This intensive program was truly an immersive experience. Instead of other master’s degrees that can be long and drawn out, the GPLLM degree allowed me to learn a skillset rapidly and apply it immediately. It was beneficial to be able to continue working during my degree ​and reflect on my daily ​experiences at the hospital, to apply learnings from the coursework. Furthermore, my classmates’ wide spectrum of professional backgrounds taught me how to approach problems from different perspectives and develop creative solutions.

What challenge are you looking forward to next in your profession?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the ultimate stress test for our health care system. As case numbers and vaccination rates have improved, we are seeing the return of our pre-pandemic health issues with added complexity and urgency. The next challenge will be managing these patients with our current capacity and staffing issues. In particular, I am looking to leverage virtual care and other digital solutions to expand the care of our emergency departments beyond the walls of the hospital and meet patients where they are.