Team Feature 
In recognition of International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting the women shaping commercial real estate. With over three decades in the industry, Jocelyne Legal has built a career navigating deals, people, and pivotal decisions—all with a sharp intuition and a no-nonsense approach.
She’s worked at the highest levels of brokerage, sat on leadership teams, and mentored the next generation through CREW and NAIOP. And through it all, she’s stayed true to what she values most: straight talk, strong relationships, and knowing when to trust her gut.
Here, she reflects on the lessons and turning points that shaped her career.
What’s a piece of advice you once received that changed the way you work?
“You know a lot more than you think you do.” Jocelyne remembers this advice clearly because, like a lot of people early in their careers, she didn’t always believe in herself. “It’s one thing to watch it happen. It’s a different thing to do it yourself,” she says. When she transitioned from marketing and lease administration into brokerage transactions, she questioned whether she was ready. But a former employer reminded her that she already had the knowledge—she just had to trust it.
Another lesson that reshaped her approach was the realization of how being punctual impacts professional relationships. After working with a senior leader who was habitually late, she recognized the unspoken message it sent: that their time was more valuable than everyone else’s. “I had up until that point also been somebody who was occasionally late,” Jocelyne admits. “But I realized how disrespectful that could be.” Making a commitment to being on time reduced her stress levels and enhanced her work efficiency. “Just be on time and your whole life will be so much better.”
What’s a moment in your career that made you stop and say, ‘I can do this’?
Confidence, for Jocelyne, didn’t happen overnight.
The transition into the transactions side of real estate was a pivotal moment. “I always thought I wanted to do that, but I couldn’t risk working on commission while supporting my family,” she explains. An opportunity to work on the landlord side changed everything, allowing her to gain hands-on experience while maintaining financial stability.
She credits key professional figures who believed in her abilities and gave her the opportunity and courage to prove herself. Personal support played a role too: “My husband does that every day. There’s nothing that comes up where he doesn’t just say to me, ‘You can do that.’”
Jocelyne’s journey is also one of resilience. Returning to a previous employer, Bentall, after a challenging personal chapter in her life became a symbolic fresh start. She even took up running, going from walking on a treadmill to completing half-marathons—a journey that mirrored her professional path. With intention, realism, and commitment, she proved that progress is possible, especially with the right support and a few lucky breaks along the way.
What’s an unconventional skill that makes you better at your job?
“I have a superpower,” Jocelyne says with a laugh. “I can smell B.S.” Her strong intuition has been a guiding force in her decision-making. “Other people have called it a Spidey sense, but it’s really about trusting your gut.”
While she doesn’t rely solely on intuition, she acknowledges that some of her missteps in life and work happened when she ignored that inner voice. “If you have to ask yourself, Should I do this or shouldn’t I?—you probably shouldn’t.”
If your younger self could see you now, what would surprise her the most?
“How fast I got old,” she jokes. “I still think I’m 35.”
Reflecting on her journey, Jocelyne believes her younger self would be pleasantly surprised at how things turned out. “If I could have looked ahead and seen my future, I would have worried a lot less.” Despite career and life challenges, she has built a fulfilling life with a great career, family, and friendships.
She likens mistakes to manure in a garden: unpleasant but essential for growth. “It stinks, but it makes things grow,” she says. “You just have to know what to do with it.”
What’s a professional challenge that turned out to be a blessing in disguise?
Without revealing specifics, Jocelyne acknowledges that a high-profile career decision—one she knew from the start wasn’t the right fit—became a defining lesson. “I should have trusted my gut,” she says. The experience reinforced her belief in listening to intuition and recognizing when something isn’t right, no matter how promising it may seem on paper.
Ultimately, that decision led her to Floorspace, where she found true fulfillment—a blessing in disguise that reaffirmed the importance of trusting her instincts.
What do you love most about being a commercial real estate broker at Floorspace?
Without hesitation, Jocelyne names the people. “All the things I would like to see a modern brokerage be, I think they can be here,” she says. “I don’t think that can be done in a large organization.”
For her, Floorspace represents a shift from traditional brokerage models toward a more collaborative and dynamic approach. The culture and people make it an environment where she feels she can make an impact and do her best work.
What is one of the most memorable deals you’ve worked on, and what made it stand out?
One deal that stands out in Jocelyne’s career was leasing the top two floors of Park Place to Goldcorp in a tough market. “I was still very new in my role, and it was very complicated. There were a lot of moving parts.” The deal involved navigating multiple negotiations, moving tenants, and overcoming legal hurdles.
In the 11th hour, she got a personal call from Goldcorp’s CEO. “He called me on my cell phone—back when cell phones weren’t commonly used for business—and asked, ‘Is this deal going to get done or not?’” Her answer was simple: “Yes, this deal’s going to get done.”
It was a nail-biter, but the deal closed, achieving the highest office rental rate Vancouver had seen at the time. “The most memorable deals are the ones where everybody wins,” she says. “I don’t like complicated deals necessarily. I just like when they end well for everyone.”
Her biggest takeaway? The deals that feel like forcing a square peg into a round hole are usually the ones that don’t work. “If you have to push and push and push, and nothing is coming together—it’s probably not the right deal.”
Final Thoughts
Jocelyne Legal’s career is proof that you don’t have to fit a mold to be successful—you just have to trust yourself, take the right risks, and surround yourself with people who believe in you.
Through her work in CREW, NAIOP, and brokerage leadership, she’s helped shape the industry for the next generation of women in CRE.
At Floorspace, we believe the future of brokerage is collaborative, inclusive, and built on fresh ideas.
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women shaping the future of commercial real estate—and the ones who will redefine it next.
