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www.canadianlawyermag.com 33 Canadian Lawyer asked lawyers, in-house counsel and clients from across Canada to vote on the top full-service regional firms in the Prairies. They were asked to rank the top five firms in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan from a long list and were given the option of adding a firm not included on that list. The survey respondents' rankings were based on the regional service coverage, client base, notable mandates, service excellence and legal expertise of the firms. To be included, firms had to have at least one office in the Prairies and offer a wide range of legal services. Voters ranked their top five and a points system was used to determine the winners, which are listed here alphabetically. HOW WE DID IT says he's seeing a lot of work in renewable energy, Indigenous law and economic devel- opment and more estate litigation because the aging population involves a massive transfer of wealth, land and farms. He's also seeing out-of-province interests investing in value-added agriculture. As opposed to its more commodity-reliant neighbours to the west, Manitoba abstains from the boom-bust cycles with a diversi- fied economy, says LaBossiere. Thompson Dorfman Sweatman does work in natural resources, agriculture, manufacturing, trans- portation and the largest employer in the province is the public sector and "the govern- ment is always going," he says. "Now happens to be as good a time as I recall in Manitoba," says LaBossier. Apart from the big public sector and health-care organizations that the firm counts as clients, it is reaping the windfall of relationships it built years ago with startups. "We've got a bunch of young, energetic companies that are setting the world on fire that we started with when they were one or two or three people who are now doing quite well, which is really exciting," he says. There is also competition creeping into the province from national and international firms, as well as from accounting firms and consultants, all looking to take advantage of a steady and dynamic Manitoba economy, but given the nature of business relationships in the province, it may be difficult for them, says LaBossier. "Manitobans like to support other Mani- tobans and I'm sure it's the same in Saskatch- ewan. And so, it is hard sometimes for people from other jurisdictions to take hold with clients," he says. "And that's probably why you haven't seen much of an incursion from lawyers from other provinces into the prov- ince of Manitoba itself." MLT Aikins LLP won in both categories of the survey. The firm has offices in Mani- toba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. Don Wilson, the firm's managing partner, says the firm has focused on being a Western Cana- dian firm, which prides itself on an ability to match the capacity of national firms, even without a presence east of Winnipeg. "So, who gives a shit if somebody is coming from Bay Street or is in Saskatoon? Well, they do," Wilson says. "We know the cabinet minis- ters. We know the mayors. We know the local people that matter. These are people we grew up with. . . . So being here on the ground in all of these cities in the West we believe does set us apart and clients tell us." Glen Peters, managing partner of Winni- peg's Fillmore Riley LLP, says he's seen a growing influence from east and west but also that smaller and nimbler prairie regional firms have an advantage to the national and international firms because their overhead is cheaper comparatively. "We have a very broad practice that connects to all of the sectors that are preva- lent in the Manitoba economy — very large, private company base and expertise in a lot of the areas that our locals are looking for, such as, for example, agribusiness," he says. In Saskatchewan, Stack says McKercher follows a "relationship-based approach" as opposed to "transactional experts or hired guns." Since the last top prairie regional firm list in 2017, the firm has continued to grow, says Stack. McKercher has made strategic investments in innovation, management and increased skill capacity, as well as succes- sion and sustainability with the addition of new partners, he says. The firm created an innovation team to adapt to new technology and it has improved governance structures, added non-lawyer management directors and has been hiring new lawyers, he says. "And we've enhanced our bench strength in the areas of immigration, Indigenous law, insurance law, labour law, startups and renewable energy," he says. Though expanding its reach, McKer- cher is not "immune to the storm cloud on the world economic horizon" either, Stack says. Saskatchewan has borne the brunt of tensions between Canada and China, the latter having halted imports of canola, a major Saskatchewan crop. "But the Saskatchewan economy has been managed very well during the uncer- tain times we've had over the last decade, and that's positioned the province very nicely. And our clients, as a result, are in a good place," he says.