Canadian Lawyer

w w w . c a n a d i a n l a w y e r m a g . c o m F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 39 Smaller firms are also doing well within their practice areas, both legal and geographical. Gruchy notes that in the 12 years he has been with Gittens & Associates, the firm has grown each year, most recently from nine to 14 lawyers. The nature of practice has changed, as well. When Gruchy, a criminal lawyer, first started out, it was unusual to do an armed robbery trial. That is no longer the case. "The problems are going to persist and perhaps worsen," says Gruchy. "It's a case of how stable the inner bonds of society are. I now have cases with teenagers committing armed rob- bery. I've never seen that in my entire life in Newfoundland." The region is both struggling and thriving economically. In its most recent "Provincial Outlook" report published in December 2018, RBC Economic Research forecasts that New Brunswick, which enjoyed stronger-than-expected growth in 2018, will slow its pace to 0.7 per cent in both 2019 and New Brunswick 87 - Number of lawyers called to the bar in 2018 (49 female, 38 male) 1,370 - Number of practising lawyers (571 female, 799 male) 218 - Number of retired lawyers 398 - Approximate number of law firms in the province 98.7 - Percentage of firms in the province with 10 or fewer lawyers (approx. 309 sole practitioners and 84 firms with two to 10 lawyers) 0.5 - Percentage of firms with 50 or more lawyers (two firms) 882 - Number of lawyers in private practice 335 - Number of lawyers in the largest age group of lawyers (31-40) 183 - Number of female lawyers in the largest age group of female lawyers (31-40) 195 - Number of male lawyers in the largest age group of male lawyers (61- 70) Source: Law Society of New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador 39 - Number of lawyers called to the bar in 2018 (20 male, 19 female) 776 - Number of practising lawyers (446 male, 330 female) 132 - Number of law firms in the province 93 - Percentage of firms in the province with 10 or fewer lawyers 0- Percentage of firms with 50 or more lawyers 485 - Number of lawyers in private practice 131 - Number of lawyers in the largest age group of lawyers (45-49) Source: The Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador *Numbers not available for Prince Edward Island 2020, down from 1 per cent last year. Nova Scotia is expect- ed to experience steady growth over the next two years: 0.8 per cent in both 2019 and 2020, unchanged from 2018. Prince Edward Island continues to lead the region. In 2017, GDP grew by 3.5 per cent and last year by 1.4 per cent. In the next two years, those numbers are expected to be 1.6 per cent and 1.2 per cent. Meanwhile, Newfoundland and Labrador will pivot from having the bleakest economic per- formance among the Atlantic provinces in 2018 to the high- est in 2019. RBC predicted its gross domestic product would dip by 1 per cent in 2018 and hit 2.3 per cent in 2019. Oil is driving the divergence. The legal market reflects the larger provincial pictures. In the past two decades, there has been a shift in the "economic order," says Bugden. This was initially driven by the development of oil and gas, and renewable energy. Now there is greater focus on start-ups, information technology, including cryptocurrency/ fintech, network and internet security and privacy, and public and private partnerships as a model for infrastructure projects. "We see more legal business come from outside the market as national and international firms move in related to those sec- tors," Bugden says. "Similarly, we've seen Atlantic Canadian busi- nesses expand outside this region, and that can also drive new business for law firms." For young lawyers, the landscape is perhaps more positive than elsewhere. "There is no articling crisis here as in other parts of the country," says Gruchy. In fact, a proposal for the first Fac- ulty of Law at Memorial University has now been endorsed by the university's senate. The call to come home is still felt by lawyers practising in other provinces. "We continue to see lawyers who grew up in the Atlantic provinces, but started their legal careers in Toronto or Calgary, return home to work," says Bugden. "Generally, that happens once they've acquired two to four years of practice experience, which also makes them interesting to local firms. The market is generally tight across the region for associates with that level of experience." She notes that there is a shared landscape with the rest of the country. "We see a decline in the number of practitioners in rural areas, exacerbating access-to-justice issues. We have seen an increase in the number of lawyers hired by some of the large accounting firms as they look to expand their services outside of traditional accounting. Similarly, the need for lawyers to embrace technology to help them innovate the way they work is a challenge for a profession steeped in precedent and tradition." One of the appeals of practising in the East Coast is undoubt- edly lifestyle. "Nobody is [regularly] spending 18 or 19 hours a day in their office, which is attractive to younger lawyers," says Hodder. "We work hard, but when we leave the office, amenities are close at hand." The cottage can be within an hour's drive, often less. The pub (and Tim Horton's) is within walking distance, and hik- ing trails, theatres, museums and more are usually only a 30-minute drive away, or less. Count on running into anoth- er member of the bar while you're out and about. You may even sit down and enjoy a Moosehead together.

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