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L IN THE survey ranks the top 10 full-service law firms in Atlantic Canada. BY ANDI BALLA ment and development in the region mean more opportunities for all firms on this year's list — large and small, say managing partners. The firms made this year's list through Can- adian Lawyer's annual survey based on the votes of lawyers across Canada. To qualify, these firms needed to offer a wide range of legal services and have offices only in Atlantic Canada — New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. When the results came in, Can- E adian Lawyer analyzed the data sev- eral ways and arrived at the conclu- sion that the top three firms on the list were not only ahead of the pack in terms of size and votes, but the re- sults among them were too close to call. So the top three firms, Stewart McKelvey, McInnes Cooper, and Cox & Palmer share this year's top spot. These three large firms are part of a trend of consolidation in the region, which has led to several mergers aimed at serving the greater business opportunities in the region. "Atlantic Canada is burgeoning with oppor- conomic growth and development have led to an optimistic outlook among Atlantic Canada's top 10 full-service law firms. Increased invest- tunity," says Stewart McKelvey CEO John MacL. Rogers. While Bernard F. Miller, McInnes Cooper's manag- ing partner, says the growth is "or- ganic and also led by finding the right people in the right cities." A trend mentioned by several of the managing partners on the top 10 list is that the practice of law has be- come more specialized and sophisti- cated and at the same time clients are increasingly cost-sensitive. "Given those two factors and the fact that you can't compromise on quality or service, that puts a premium on in- creased productivity," says Daniel Gallivan, CEO at Cox & Palmer. Following is the list of the top 10 full- service firms in the Atlantic region. How we did it C asked lawyers from across Canada to vote on the top full-service firms based in the Atlantic provinces. Voters were asked to rank 10 firms from a prelimi- nary list, with a chance to nominate a firm that was not included on the list. Respondents' rankings were based on firms' regional service coverage, client base, notable mandates, service excellence, and legal expertise. To be considered in the vote, firms were required to have offices only in Atlantic Canada — in one or more provinces — and offer a wide range of legal services. The final rankings were determined through a points system, in which firms were rewarded on a slid- ing scale for the number of first- to 10th-place votes received. www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com OC T O BER 2010 35 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com OC T O BER 2010 35 IMELIGHT Canadian Lawyer ' s anadian Lawyer