Canadian Lawyer

20 www.canadianlawyermag.com THE TOP 10 PRAIRIE FIRMS OF 2021-22 ment and labour issues, and helping busi- nesses or individuals who have fallen on hard times due to the pandemic. Of course, life goes on and there have been many other areas of practice beyond those related to COVID-19 that have seen changes. As Aaron Runge, managing partner at MLT Aikins LLP, a Top Prairie Firm winner in both the Manitoba and Saskatchewan catego- ries, puts it, "Over the past year, we've seen a number of trends emerge that have impacted the legal landscape from the carbon tax to accelerated technological advancements in the [agriculture] sector and a growing aware- ness of Indigenous rights." This year's top 10 list — five winners for Manitoba, five winners for Saskatchewan — contains a lot of familiar names. Indeed, most of our winners have been on the list since at least 2011. It's a sign of how these firms have won a place in the hearts and minds of survey respondents, many of whom commented on the winning firms' expertise and professionalism. An evolving agriculture sector Jennifer Pereira, Q .C., at Robertson Strom- berg in Saskatoon, says a changing climate — above average snowfall in winter and an exceedingly hot and dry summer — "have led to a number of issues." She says the firm has seen "an increase in the provision of advice to municipalities as they grapple with water and fire issues. Likewise, on the agricultural front, a poor growing season has led to an increase of legal services relating to debt collection and commercial transactions." Keith LaBossiere, CEO and managing partner of Manitoba winning firm, Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, agrees that the agriculture sector has taken a blow thanks to the weather. The result is that many farms, most family-owned, are multi- million-dollar operations that need sound advice when it comes to areas such as tax issues, consolidation and succession plan- ning. "There [are] a lot of farms suffering because of the drought, so they are keeping a lot of our corporate commercial lawyers really busy." As well, winning firm lawyers point to innovation that will shape the future of agriculture. One example involves companies such as Regina Protein Indus- tries Canada, an innovation superclu- ster focused on plant-based proteins. It provides advice regarding research consor- tium structure, research funding agree- ments, data management, member agree- ments and policy direction. Another example is the Roquette Pea Protein Manufacturing Plant in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The plant processes yellow peas into powdered fibres, protein Canadian Lawyer asked readers to vote on the top full-service regional firms in the Prairie provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In the survey, which took place between June 28 and July 23 this year, survey respondents were asked to rank the top five firms in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan from a long list provided on our survey. They were also given the option of adding a firm not included on that list. The survey respondents' rankings were based on the regional service coverage, client base, notable mandates, service excellence and legal expertise of the firms. To be included, firms had to have at least one office in the Prairies and offer a wide range of legal services. Voters ranked their top five and a points system was used to determine the winners, which are listed here alphabetically. METHODOLOGY and starch, which have applications in pharma, nutrition and food sectors. LaBossiere says "companies are looking to diversify and grow, and it's putting in a lot of money into rural Manitoba, which is fantastic, and lawyers are there to help things along." The carbon tax and the evolution of the energy sector MLT's Runge notes that The Supreme Court of Canada ruling earlier this year in favour of the carbon tax is a decision that will accelerate investments in clean tech- nology. It will require law firms to have a strong knowledge of technologies such as carbon capture and storage. Runge points to his firm's involve- ment in the $1.24-billion Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage Demonstration Projec t, SaskEnerg y 's underground gas storage program, as well "On the agricultural front, a poor growing season has led to an increase of legal services relating to debt collection and commercial transactions." Jennifer Pereira, Q.C., Robertson Stromberg LLP SPECIAL REPORT

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