From Precedent: The new rules of style and law:

http://www.lawandstyle.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=308&Itemid=100&limit=1&limitstart=2

"One of those registered lobbyists is … Liberal Lorna Counsell. She’s a former special assistant to New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna, and is on the record for her client Porter Airlines, a young company fighting through the red tape to get its commuter planes flying from the Toronto Island to destinations such as Ottawa, Montreal, and New York."

Porter hired Counsell and her firm in 2002 to deal with the legal and regulatory issues faced by the company. Robert Deluce, Porter’s president and CEO, describes Counsell as “invaluable in terms of navigating the political minefield, particularly the extensive roadblocks we encountered during the four or five years that led up to our start of service in October 2006.”

Counsell proved herself especially invaluable in 2003, when David Miller, Toronto’s newly-elected mayor, cancelled the proposed bridge to the island airport. When the federal government backed the city, Counsell represented her client in settlement negotiations with the feds. The terms remain secret, but according to Counsell, the parties reached “a very fair settlement which compensated Porter for damages incurred.” The Globe and Mail pegged Porter’s take as high as $20 million.

Regardless of the dollar figure, Porter was clearly satisfied with its politically savvy young lawyer as she snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. So impressed, in fact, that Deluce offered Counsell a job — she will be joining Porter as the company’s General Counsel this June. A politically experienced lawyer would undoubtedly spin that as a victory.

 Brian Iler