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MANAGING PARTNER BY GAIL J . COHEN T he managing partners of BCF LLP admit that Quebec's legal market is jammed with law firms yet is also somewhat anemic, so competition is tough. However, the firm, which started in 1995 and has offices in Montreal and Quebec City, has found its niche in the mid-market with a focus on working with small and medium- sized businesses by not just providing legal advice but by working as a partner in helping clients grow. Co-managing partners André Morrissette and P. Mario Charpentier talk to Canadian Lawyer about the firm's values, how it continues to be a vibrant and expanding enterprise that's been named one of Canada's top 50 best-managed companies. Andre Morissette Mario Charpentier Q Tell me what sort of management struc- ture your firm has. MC: It's pretty straightforward. We have 55 partners, 130 pro- fessionals, and 300 employees. The partners are supreme and we have a 15-partner board of directors that meets regularly each month. Under that is the executive committee of four partners: André and I are co-managing partners, Jules Turcotte, the managing partner from Quebec City, and young Pierre Allard, who is learning the ropes. Q What are each of your roles as co-managing partners? AM: Managing a law firm is an extremely difficult task, like herd- ing cats. Lawyers are reluctant to be followers. If you want to be a leader you must be respected and earn their respect. So we felt that would only hap- pen if we continued to practise law, but it would be impossible to practise and run the firm alone. So we are two people with very different talents. We complement ourselves and divide the job on our talents. Mario is in charge of recruitment, HR, and the finances of the firm. All of which are key in any firm. What I do is different. I'm more respon- sible for branding, marketing, strategic planning. We rely on one another; we consult each other all day long. Q Q What does BCF stand for? AM: Brouillette Charpentier Fortin. Now the official name is BCF. The main reason for that is that BCF is more then a group of a couple of partners; it is a multidisciplinary team and it was almost impossible to spell it out in English! Can you talk about some of the unique aspects of law practice in Quebec. AM: The legal industry in Quebec is extremely rich. We have a long history of the existence of law firms and it is high-density, but the market is kind of anemic. There are less and less transactions in Montreal and Quebec, which leaves a ton of good lawyers vying for that smaller piece of the pie — except in the mid-market and we are lucky to be in that area. MC: We follow the drivers: we have strong tax, IP, tech, and health sci- ences practices. Montreal is the fifth biggest city for pharmaceutical, it has the third largest cluster of aeronautics in the country, and there are lots of software companies. We try to focus on areas that will survive on a worldwide competitive market. We try to focus ourselves on the mid-market. The big firms take all the big transactions and they are done from Toronto. We grow with our clients. They are loyal to us Core values part of the every day at BCF Q and we have an emotional link. It's not so glamourous but the respect of our clients is important. How do you serve clients who have offic- es or business needs outside Quebec? MC: We are not a national firm but we are the leading independent business law firm in Quebec. Thirty law firms are our clients for their Quebec needs. We are involved in many big transactions across the country and North America. We have great relation- ships with firms in Boston in life scienc- es, for example. We choose for our clients who are the best for our clients. We have the privilege to call senior lawyers outside of Quebec if we need them. In fact, the inbound and outbound practice is the fastest growing part of the firm. Q Q Associate retention is a big issue. What is your firm doing in that area? MC: We are open-minded; we listen to young lawyers and make sure they have fascinating files. We are always trying to hire lawyers that are better than us. We feel if they are work- ing for a cause, more than just being a lawyer but wanting to leave their mark, they will have a lot more fun. . . . So far so good for us. Does the firm have as set of core values? AM: Our core values are our main asset. The reason we've been the fastest growing law firm is around those values. MC: We repeat this every day. These are the core values: humility, authenticity, intensity, creativity, generosity. Around that we can do a lot. They are not just words, you have to act on those values. AM: They really capture our spirit here — this is truly who we are. It's not a marketing thing. We really try to live those values on a daily basis. To read more of ANDRÉ MORISSETTE AND MARIO CHARPENTIER'S interview with Canadian Lawyer, visit us online at canadianlawyermag.com www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com JULY 2008 15