How this lawyer is spearheading innovation in his industry

To build up his expertise in the energy sector, Ara Arzumanian enrolled in the Osgoode Professional LLM
Ara Arzumanian
Portrait of Ara Arzumanian

Ara Arzumanian

Senior Legal Counsel at Hydro One
Osgoode LLM: Energy and Infrastructure Law, 2015
Year of call: 1995

Ara Arzumanian loves electricity. “It’s foundational to human life,” he explains. “There’s water, there’s food and then there’s energy.” He wasn’t always so passionate about this topic. In 2008, when he first joined Hydro One as legal counsel, he worked diligently on a range of legal tasks, such as negotiating major technology purchases and dealing with supply-chain issues. Though he had a firm grasp on the technological side of his work, he lacked expertise in the electricity sector.

In 2012, he decided to overcome that gap in his knowledge. So he enrolled in the energy and infrastructure law specialization of the Osgoode Professional LLM, a rigorous graduate program that he could complete on a part-time basis. In his coursework, one of the topics he explored was how innovation in his industry could improve lives and create a greener power grid.

The experience re-energized — pardon the pun — his career. “Today, I’m pursuing a lot of exciting projects,” he says. He has supported electrical vehicle charging in the province, and he’s worked on a pilot project that allows consumers to track their energy consumption through a user-friendly app.

Arzumanian was so pleased with the program that he chose to return as an instructor. He now teaches a course that examines the legal, policy, regulatory and financial barriers to energy innovation. “This is what I do every day now,” says Arzumanian. “And I trace a lot of it back to Osgoode.”

Fast facts about the Osgoode Professional LLM

1. Flexible: The program is designed for professionals. Evening and weekend classes let you earn a degree while working.

2. Specialized: Dive deep into one of 14 areas of specialization, including tax, securities, criminal, constitutional, business, and dispute resolution.

3. Rigorous: Throughout the program, you’ll complete detailed papers on a complex area of law, honing your legal writing and analytical skills.

Osgoode’s Professional LLM is designed with the working lawyer in mind. To learn more, visit the program’s website or call (416) 673-4670.

This story is from our Summer 2020 Issue.