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of the National Energy Policy and a slower global
economy were impacting Alberta.” Instead of oil
and gas work, Fenwick did just about every type
of commercial law, with a heavy concentration on
insurance, lending, and restructuring.
While he enjoyed practicing law, Fenwick began
to think about studying for an LL.M. and opted for
the University of Virginia (UVa) on the strength of its
international law program. “Initially I was awestruck
at the UVa because of its architecture and the
philosophy of its founder Thomas Jefferson, but I
soon became comfortable there, knowing that my
legal training at the University of Manitoba and
Parlee McLaws had provided an excellent base for
my further studies.”
Anticipating his return to Canada after graduation,
fate intervened when Fenwick was invited by the
head of the graduate program at UVa to a meeting
with the head of Linklaters New York.
Fenwick learned that Linklaters was one of the
UK’s prominent law firms and was leading the
charge on the globalization of the legal profession,
with English law and New York law becoming
the commodities of choice for cross-border legal
transactions. At that point, none of the major UK
firms practiced New York law, and none of the major
New York firms practiced English law. Anticipating
that this was about to change, Linklaters was
interested in a new profile of attorney that could
help them respond to the change. Within a
few weeks, Fenwick had accepted a position as
associate with the firm in its New York office.
Other global changes were afoot. By the late 1980s,
the Japanese economy was transforming itself
from an export-driven model to a truly global
enterprise. Japanese companies were expanding
operations abroad and funding themselves through
issues of bonds and convertible securities in the
international markets. Linklaters became one of the
first foreign law firms to open in Tokyo, and in 1991
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