Kay She-Johnson

Worth knowing

She has done corporate and M&A work on both sides of the Atlantic, from Calgary's energy bar to Baker McKenzie's energy, mining and infrastructure group in London, and now runs legal for a Canadian airline as its sole senior counsel. She also knows how to make a return-to-work program actually work inside a law firm.

Story

Kay took three degrees at the University of Calgary, a BA, a master's in public policy and a JD, after starting out in political advocacy. She articled at Bennett Jones in Calgary, then moved to London to practice corporate law, working on energy, mining and infrastructure deals and sitting on climate panels with figures from Unilever and the UK government. Back in Calgary, she leads the legal function at Flair Airlines. In 2022, after her son was born, she built Returnity YYC, a six-month pilot to support Calgary lawyers through parental leave, and wrote about the problem for the Canadian Bar Association's National Magazine.

Highlights

• BA, MPP and JD, University of Calgary
• "Rising Star," Oilweek Magazine
• UN Women SHE Innovator
• Wrote "Empowering lawyers returning to practice," National Magazine (2024)
• MC, Young Professionals in Energy Calgary Future Leaders Dinner