As counsel with the Ministry of the Attorney General and as general counsel at Invest Ontario, Yasmin Shaker works with others, including leadership at Invest Ontario and the Ministry of Economic Development Job Creation & Trade (MEDJCT) to advise the government on potential investments in Ontario and to attract business with a $700 million investment fund. Shaker applies her expertise in trade law, corporate and commercial law, and government policy in this work. Her career spans the private, public, and international trade realms.
Her early experience as a student and associate at Goodmans involved working on groundbreaking trade cases with a senior lawyer at the firm. “An early mentor of mine named Jon Johnson was pivotal to the first NAFTA negotiations,” she says. “When I was with Jon at Goodmans, we worked on Canada’s second NAFTA Chapter 11 case…[It] was groundbreaking, fascinating, and exciting.”
Shaker says this early exposure to trade law left her “hooked.” She then made a pivotal move from private practice to government, which was partly driven by the values she grew up with: “My family instilled in me a strong desire to work in the public interest.”
After leaving the firm in 2004, Shaker had various roles in the provincial and federal government working on international trade, eventually ending up in Ottawa at Global Affairs Canada.
“[Johnson] put me in touch with the folks at JLT [the Trade Law Bureau at the federal government]… and I was offered what was essentially my dream job. .. In my opinion, the best place to practise trade law is at JLT and Global Affairs as you have the opportunity to negotiate international trade agreements, defend Canada [at the World Trade Organization], and generally advise the government on its trade law obligations,” she says. Shaker emphasizes that this hands-on experience helped her understand the nuances of government operations and negotiations. “You come to understand how government works, which is extremely helpful.”
This work solidified her desire to specialize in trade law, leading her to work on high-profile files like NAFTA 2.0. Reflecting on this experience, she says, “It was very intense and challenging… but also incredibly rewarding.”
At the Ministry of the Attorney General and Invest Ontario, Shaker integrates her trade law background into her current responsibilities. “There are trade law implications for any measures governments take,” she explains, noting how this expertise informs her approach to advising her client. Her transition to in-house roles – including a position with a multinational medical cannabis company – allowed her to understand private-sector challenges better. “That experience has helped me be a better lawyer… we deal with companies all the time, and I think I have a strong understanding of how companies think.”
Advising on Invest Ontario’s investment agreements requires balancing public-sector priorities with private-sector expectations. Shaker highlights the unique challenges of this dynamic, saying, “A public agency is not the same as a private sector lender. However, once [companies] understand that the government’s goals are different… they generally come to appreciate our approach that incentivizes jobs and investment.”
Shaker also addresses the incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, emphasizing their importance in modern investment agreements. “For those ESG principles that have made their way into hard law, Invest Ontario agreements include them… this is an evolving and very important area,” she explains. When dealing with softer ESG guidelines, the agency encourages stakeholders to adhere to best practices.
Reflecting on her career as an in-house lawyer, Shaker underscores the importance of being pragmatic and business focused. “I enjoy the fact that I am on a team serving one client… You really have to understand what’s driving the business and its goals,” she says. In-house legal work requires quick, actionable advice that supports the organization’s objectives. “It’s a very practical practice. Your role is to empower the business..”
Shaker views her roles at the Ministry of the Attorney General and Invest Ontario as the ideal nexus of public and private interests. “Working at a Crown agency that focuses on business is very interesting,” she explains. This model allows her to apply entrepreneurial thinking within a framework prioritizing public interest. “If you have a desire to work in the public sector and have an entrepreneurial… mentality, it’s actually the perfect nexus point.”
Her advice to aspiring government lawyers is about having the right mindset. “You have to love serving the public interest,” she says. At the same time, she notes that certain government roles require navigating hierarchical structures, which may not suit everyone.
Shaker’s passion for mentorship and recognition of legal excellence is evident in her role as a judge for the Canadian Law Awards. “The hard work, dedication, and strong… leadership of lawyers should be recognized,” she says, adding that she is thrilled to contribute to highlighting these achievements.
Nominations for the Canadian Law Awards close on January 31.