Paul Harricks

Paul Harricks is counsel in Gowling WLG’s Toronto office. As a corporate lawyer, Paul has a strong focus on the energy, nuclear and infrastructure sectors. For over 25 years, he has been deeply immersed in the Canadian and global energy sector, playing a crucial role in various aspects of the energy transition.

From 2019 to 2023, Paul served as executive vice-president & chief legal officer of Hydro One Limited, Ontario’s largest electric utility, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In this role, he held executive-level responsibility for the company’s legal, regulatory, governance, ethics and compliance functions. As a member of the company’s executive leadership team, Paul worked on complex governance, policy, strategic, regulatory, stakeholder, legal and ESG matters.

Under Paul’s leadership, the Regulatory Affairs team at Hydro One completed the company’s first-ever joint transmission and distribution rate application to the Ontario Energy Board. This three-year process culminated in 2022 with a complete settlement of all issues, marking an unprecedented accomplishment.

Before joining Hydro One, Paul led the Energy Group at Gowling WLG from 2010 and also led the firm’s Infrastructure Group. Additionally, he spent four years as head of Gowling WLG’s Toronto Business Law Department and, in that capacity, was a member of the six-person Management Committee for the firm’s Toronto office.

Throughout his career, Paul has assisted clients with a wide range of private and public M&A transactions in several industries, with a strong but not exclusive focus on the power sector since 1999. He has also been involved, as both a team leader and team member, in the formation and governance of infrastructure investment funds, downstream investments in public-private partnerships, debt capital market transactions in the electricity distribution sector, nuclear new-build and refurbishment projects, and project development work in various sectors.

Paul is a recognized capital markets lawyer, having been involved in dozens of public and private debt and equity transactions on behalf of issuers and investment dealers in an array of sectors, including financial services, real estate, consumer products and electricity distribution.

In addition to his management roles, Paul has served as a trusted advisor providing first-class client service through high-quality strategic and legal work, an exemplary standard of service, strong project management skills and a collaborative, team-based approach. He develops a deep understanding of his clients’ businesses and the sectors within which they operate. As a team leader for many significant clients, he devoted himself to creating strong, lasting relationships between his firm and his clients.

Paul has completed the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program, the leading national education program for experienced board directors in Canada. He has served on a range of boards of public and private companies, not-for-profits and charities. Paul was the inaugural chair and remains a member of the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s Energy Transition Committee, and is past-chair of other TRBOT committees. He was also a director of the Association of Power Producers of Ontario from 2014 to 2019. Currently, Paul continues to serve as a director for several companies, both public and private.

As an esteemed educator and thought leader, Paul has contributed to the legal community both in Canada and on the global stage. He has taught extensively on corporate law, corporate governance and other legal matters, and mentored dozens of lawyers and others throughout his career.