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Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/1183528
www.canadianlawyermag.com 7 "Every lawyer — big firm or small — needs to be an entrepreneur." Ian Holloway, dean of Law, University of Calgary law firm. He worked at a tech lab in B.C. and wasn't sure that there a traditional legal career would allow for the innovative, entrepreneurial mindset he wanted to develop. So, he opted for the IFLP because "it would also help me get a better idea of where the legal sector was going." But, having completed the program, he has changed his mind. "I realized that I am indeed interested in tech. I am indeed interested in entrepreneurship. But I really do want to be a practising lawyer in those areas and in those fields and be of added value there," he says. "The program really showed me that I do want to be a practising lawyer." The IFLP taught him that the legal profes- sion can be hesitant to change. "Backward- looking," precedent-based common law and the partnership, consensus-based model of doing business can lead to stubborn conservatism, Frederiks says. Firms and corporations need "champions" to be catalysts within an organiz- ation and force the innovation and adaptation to and implementation of technology, he says. More than making law students "practice ready" for the law firm they join for articles, the program equips them for where the firm is headed in seven or 10 years from now, he says. Leading at a global firm Q&A Year of call 2003, Alberta Main practice areas M&A, securities, corporate finance Why Dentons? Member of Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, which merged with Dentons Why have you remained at Dentons? Global platform and a dynamic, practical, forward-thinking culture Tim Haney office managing partner, Calgary DENTONS What has stood out in your career as an especially formative experience? I think the mentors early in my career engendering a true sense that, to be a successful lawyer, one needs to really understand their clients' business or situation, thereby allowing them to provide bespoke legal solutions. If you don't, at first, understand the business or the fact pattern of the of the particular client need, it's very difficult to render good legal advice. It becomes very formulaic. And that's something I tried to stay away from. Good mentorship is something I received a lot of early in my career and it's really paid dividends to this day. To what do you attribute your early rise in the ranks? Having the support of a tremendous team at Dentons is really the fundamental reason as to why I've been so successful . . . It's truly been a team approach. Obviously, hard work, ethics, passion — these types of things are always helpful. But it really starts and ends with the team approach. What have you done to distinguish yourself at Dentons? Always listen and truly understand the business or scenario of your client before attempting to render any advice. . . . I always try to understand an organization, team members, issues and what's going on before undertaking initiatives. A second point would be [to] always reflect and learn when scenarios don't quite go according to plan. I think it's essential to learn and be an intellectually dexterous practitioner and a leader to learn from when things go off the rails. If you don't reflect on those types of scenarios, you miss a learning opportunity. One of the most important ones — both for as a lawyer and as a leader — would be to grasp the concept that tactical advice is quite different than strategic advice. That's a fine distinction, but I think a lot of practitioners and leaders need to realize the distinction. Most importantly, management and leadership are not synonymous. Alpha Adroit Forensic Engineering and Expert Opinion Alpha Adroit Engineering Ltd. • Expert Witness • Expert Opinion • Failure Investigation • Forensic Geotechnical Engineering • Remedial Geotechnical Engineering • Forensic Civil Engineering Construction For: • Litigation • Arbitration • Insurance claims • Failure Investigation and Repair www.alphaadroit.ca Toll-Free (Canada only): 1-844-423-7648 Edmonton: 780-708-4110 Calgary: 403-918-4110 Red Deer: 403-918-4115 Vancouver: 778-322-4110 Saskatoon: 306-881-4115 Fort McMurray: 780-607-4114