Mehgan H. Wichuk
General Counsel at Seadrill Americas Inc
Meghan Wichuk has steadily amassed legal skills and an in-depth understanding of the oil industry while working her way up the ranks as in-house counsel for some the largest and most well-known companies in the field. As a result, she can draw upon significant experience in litigation, contracts, employment law, compliance matters and corporate governance – all of which she will use in her most recent, and most impressive, role as General Counsel–Americas for offshore drilling leader Seadrill America.
Wichuk began her career at a midsized litigation firm, practicing asbestos and silica mass tort defense for product and premises defendants. She conducted more than 150 depositions, attended mediations, assisted in trial preparation and drafted more than 60 pretrial strategy reports.
Utilizing the in-the-trenches legal experience she gained in private practice, Wichuk went on to serve as geomarket attorney for Schlumberger Technology Corporation – the world’s leading technology supplier in the oil and gas industry. As one of only two attorneys responsible for five regions in the United States, with more than $5 billion in annual revenue, Wichuk played a critical role negotiating and drafting a wide range of contracts. She also handled employment law and regulatory matters, drafted company policies, conducted compliance audits and led more than 50 presentations for business managers.
Her work for Schlumberger garnered the attention of peers and industry leaders alike. Following this experience, Wichuk went on to serve as corporate counsel for Global Geophysical Services Inc., where she was the senior attorney responsible for worldwide seismic acquisition and processing operations totaling over $350 million in annual revenue.
Wichuk then served as senior division counsel for Trican Well Service Ltd. for five years. She assessed and managed legal risk for the U.S. division of Trican, which consisted of nearly 1,500 employees and $740 million in annual revenue domestically. In addition to negotiating critical agreements, Wichuk managed all domestic litigation. She also oversaw and coordinated Trican’s $200 million sale of its U.S. assets in March 2016.
In April 2016, Wichuk assumed the position of General Counsel–Americas for Seadrill America, a world leader in offshore drilling. Given the size and scope of Seadrill’s operations, along with her role as general counsel for all U.S. and Canadian operations, the new position is the pinnacle of Wichuk’s impressive career to date. What’s more, because the company runs a lean management team, Wichuk is integrally involved in strategy decisions and recommendations on ways to move the company forward.
Further, Wichuk is an agent of change with respect to company employment policies. For instance, at Trican, she noticed significant differences between U.S. and Canadian maternity leave. After gathering substantial data, Wichuk prepared a proposal seeking 26 weeks of paid maternity leave for all U.S. employees. Based on her thorough research and compelling evidence, the company agreed to extend its U.S. maternity leave. Not onlydid Trican employees benefit, but other companies are looking to her proposal as they reconsider their own policies.
As a result of her exceptional achievements and her notable leadership skills, Wichuk was recently named one of 2016’s Lawyers On the Rise by Texas Lawyer. Out of a pool of more than 100 nominations, Wichuk was chosen as one of only 20 attorneys 40 and under “who have established a record of accomplishments and demonstrated that theyare top contributors to the practice of law and their communities.”