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30 www.canadianlawyermag.com BUSINESS STRATEGY TOP PERSONAL INJURY BOUTIQUES SPECIAL REPORT L itco Law started out as a family experi- ence back in 1976, and it remains one to this day, says president Fred Litwiniuk. The firm was founded by Litwiniuk's dad, Larry, along with his wife, Marianne, an accountant. "It was basically my dad being a sole general practitioner back in those days, doing what he needed to do to keep on the lights," he says. Eventually, Larry Litwiniuk and Marianne branched out into personal injury law, real- izing that "there were a lot of people that needed help in dealing with the legal after- math of an automobile accident. So, he took the opportunity. The firm grew, with its focus mainly on auto accidents. Eventually Litwiniuk's brother Todd, now CEO of Litco Law, joined the firm as a lawyer after becoming a member of the bar in the early 1990s. Litwiniuk joined a few years later. Even sister Holly not a lawyer does some marketing work for the firm. After Fred and Todd took over running the firm, known for years as Litwiniuk & Company, it has had exponential growth going from a staff of 22 to a staff of about 120. Litco Law also has three locations, two in Calgary and one in Edmonton. Fred Litwiniuk says that one of most rewarding moments of his life was when the two brothers took over from their parents "building on an amazing legacy." Earlier this year, the firm changed its name to Litco Law as part of a rebranding to reinforce a brighter and friendlier look on Litco Law's website and social media. The idea is to play up the "human side" of a law firm – real people out to help others with real resolutions. Also, the name is a littler easier to remember and a lot easier to pronounce. It also reinforces the team that is Litco Law, not just the name of the family that founded it. As for the state of personal injury litigation in Alberta, Litwiniuk notes that the provincial government commissioned a report on auto- mobile insurance. Last year, the report recom- mended a no-fault system, as many provinces have adopted, including B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. The Alberta commis- sion recommended a "pure" at-fault system but delivered by private insurers. So far, Litwiniuk says, the government has not acted on the recommendations, and it plans to go back to the public for more consul- tation. Everyone in the personal injury bar is waiting to see what happens." Litwiniuk says a no-fault system would negatively affect personal injury lawyers, and "more importantly, it would negatively affect the public." He says the no fault system does not seem to have saved consumers money, and "doesn't really serve the needs" of Albertans. "I think what we have now works pretty well," Litwiniuk says. He notes that, in general, most personal injury cases related to motor vehicle accidents do not go to trial, but those cases in Alberta have an even lower rate of going to trial than in other jurisdictions, like Ontario. 16 Number of lawyers 101 Number of support staff 2 Number of partners 1976 When firm was founded LITCO LAW AT A GLANCE Main areas of personal injury practice: personal injury, long-term disability, class action lawsuits and mass tort actions Email: fred@litco.ca Telephone: 403-273-8580 | 1-844-Litco4U (toll-free) Website: www.litco.ca LITCO LAW TOP PERSONAL INJURY BOUTIQUES SPECIAL REPORT Litco Law Fred Litwiniuk, President, Litco Law