Paul Saguil wins OBA's Heather McArthur Memorial Young Lawyers Award
The OBA is pleased to announce that Paul Saguil is the 2017 recipient of the Heather McArthur Memorial Young Lawyers Award. The Award recognizes exceptional contributions and/or achievements by a young lawyer in the field of continuing legal education or development of the law for the benefit of the profession or the citizens of Ontario.
Paul Jonathan Saguil has always been driven by his values of family, hard work and community—which all align well with the in-house career. Lawyering has long been his calling: “I knew around grade 6 or 7 that I was going to law school. I just did not know what that meant exactly.” Recently promoted to Associate Vice President, Anti-Money Laundering, Canadian Banking at TD Bank Group, Paul is now in the thick of it, solving legal dilemmas, expanding his skills and helping others.
His parents immigrated to Canada from the Philippines with their three young children when he was nine years old—a move for which he will be forever grateful. It was a powerful example of courage and showed him the importance of being open to change. He believes success comes from being willing to say yes: “Start by saying yes to opportunities, and more will come.”
His willingness to say yes, and then ask for help when needed, has served him well. Initially as Associate at Stockwoods LLP, then as Senior Counsel at TD and now in his current position, not to mention in his countless volunteer positions, Paul has been exposed to “a little bit of everything,” which have helped him grow both professionally and personally.
“Paul has worked tirelessly for many years, often in the background, contributing to diverse organizations in the legal and broader community. A talented litigator and now corporate counsel, I am delighted that he is the recipient of this prestigious award.”
- Andrew Pinto, Pinto Wray James LLP
His parents also taught him the importance of working hard, and being willing to repeatedly prove yourself. “As a junior lawyer, your currency is the good work you do. You become known for good work, and then you have the credibility to build other things. I want people to say, ‘Here’s a guy who works really hard.’”
Indeed he does. His typical workday begins at 7:30 am and ends after 6 pm, depending on his workload and other volunteer commitments (he has a board or committee activity most evenings).
During the day, Paul reports indirectly to the Chief of the Anti-Money Laundering/Anti-Terrorist Financing Program (AML/ATF), a critical program for a business like TD. He, along with the three people he manages, gives advice to Canadian business bank partners about overall program compliance, how to implement processes, and more. He is exposed to cutting-edge technology and emerging products, and is involved in in-depth AML investigations. “I find operational challenges and opportunities to create more efficiencies and streamline processes quite interesting. I like having a deeper knowledge about how things can be done more efficiently.”
He adds that the real challenge for lawyers, especially in-house counsel, is taking the principles you learn in school and applying them in the real world. “How does this work in this context? In my role, I must think what that means end-to-end.” He adds, “In business, law is important but not the determining factor.”
One of his biggest motivators is coaching and mentoring others—a formal part of his current job. “When I first got tapped on the shoulder for this position, I was quite chuffed about it. In law school, they don’t really talk about the possibility of managing people…. I love the opportunity to help influence people in their professional development and build them up.”
He is grateful for his support network, both past and present, and wants to give back. “We all have small circles of influence. I like to use mine to help bring up people who otherwise might get left behind.”
To that end, he is currently Chair of both the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Equity Advisory Group and the OBA’s Equality Committee, as well as an executive member of the CBA’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identify Forum, and the CCCA’s Ontario Executive. He is also Director for the 519, Community One Foundation and Out on Bay Street; and a member of the Toronto Police Service’s LGBTQ Community Consultation Committee. And these are only some of his commitments.
I've had the pleasure of working with Paul for a number of years and am delighted that he is receiving this recognition. Paul has continued to devote his considerable talents to further diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. He is astute, committed, tireless and extremely generous with his time in pursuing these objectives.
- Sandra Nishikawa, Bencher, LSUC
Paul has also become much more vocal about the psychological aspects of being a lawyer. Self-awareness and acceptance are important.
Over the years, he has spent a lot of time reflecting on who he is and the impact he wants to have. For example, he came out when he was in law school and also began accepting his minority status as Asian Canadian, recognizing how that has shaped him: “It is not like the impact of law, which can be black and white.” Having that knowledge has empowered him to make choices that help him reach his goals.
He encourages others to speak up when they are having trouble and get the support they need. “We are taught we can have everything. The challenge is recognizing that some things have to be put on the backburner [for other things to succeed].”
To help him stay balanced—and get away from his phone—he practices yoga regularly, scuba dives when possible (he has a goal of discovering a new dive site every six months or so) and does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, even competing last November. Ever the lawyer, he says, “they all involve problem solving, thinking and planning ahead. But I have to breathe through it to succeed.”
All in all, he feels “incredibly privileged and lucky. There is no magic sauce that I have, other than being at the right place at the right time. I got my current role because I had a leader, my current boss, who believed in my potential. I feel incredibly lucky to do what I do.”
He continues to work hard, and actively contribute to his communities of family, friends and colleagues. “If I can help other people who otherwise would not have champions, that is my goal.”
This profile was originally published in the Spring 2017 edition of CCCA Magazine. For more great profiles and articles for in-house counsel, visit their website.