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50 www.canadianlawyermag.com TOP LITIGATION BOUTIQUES 2024–25 Expertise Service Relationship Business savvy Geography Value/pricing Style Reputation Hassan Ahmad, assistant professor at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School, outlines the key areas: • Bread-and-butter: Litigation main- stays include basic contract disputes in construction, insurance, employment, real estate, and professional negligence. • Civil litigation: Personal injury litigation and insurance disputes take the lion's share. • Commercial: Real estate disputes, profes- sional negligence claims, bankruptcy, and insolvency are key aspects. • Emerging disputes: Class action litigation around product liability, supply chain issues, METHODOLOGY Canadian Lawyer's seventh bi-annual Top Litigation Boutiques survey asked lawyers, in-house counsel, and clients across the country to select the litigation firms that represented the best in class in 2024. To be considered in the vote, firms were required to have the majority of their business come from litigation work. The final rankings were determined through a points system in which firms were rewarded on a sliding scale for the number of votes by ranking. The winners were categorized by geography, including the Top 10 in Eastern Canada and the Top 5 in Western Canada. The quantitative results were combined with the Lexpert peer survey results, where applicable, along with feedback from respected senior members of the bar and regional diversity considerations. and human rights concerns, where workers and communities are harmed by business practices, are on the rise; climate change disputes are arising, and issues around AI and the repercussions and consequences of AI technology, such as self-directed vehicles and drones are anticipated, although cases have not yet come forward. • Niche and rare areas: Idiosyncratic consti- tutional disputes, such as people's right to protest on issues around the division of powers, will also surface but are less common. Ahmad points out that AI and law firms' increasing specialization is the catalyst for change in the legal profession. Despite this evolution, the attributes of a top litigation boutique continue to reflect a mix of strong advocacy skills and softer skills. "A leading litigation firm must have top- notch lawyers with strong subject matter expertise and people who are strong on their feet as well as in writing," he says. "It's really about being attuned to what clients need in this day and age and resolving disputes efficiently in a cost-effective and transparent manner, that will not substan- tially affect a client's business." How the top litigation boutiques are achieving legal distinction Hunter Litigation Chambers The drivers of the top litigation firm's eight- time recognition have remained the same since its founding in 2006: its people and the quality of their work. Source: Thomson Reuters 2023 DRIVERS OF FAVOURABILITY: WHAT CLIENTS LOOK FOR IN THEIR LEGAL PROVIDERS 72% 35% 71% 32% 29% 28% 18% 16% 15% 15% 15% 12% 11% 8% 21% 12% Canada Rest of the world Significant difference SPECIAL REPORT