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www.canadianlawyermag.com 59 with a stated commitment to work-life balance over growth for its own sake. How do you make that model work as caseloads grow? A: We want to make sure people have substantive experiences on files, which means we need more bodies because we want people, even at a junior level, to have carriage of significant parts of a file. We think it's really important as a litiga- tion law boutique to give people the oppor- tunity to get into court and take on substan- tive pieces of a file as early in their career as possible. The only way to learn this job is to get out and do it. We staff files leanly because we have excellent people who can carry parts of a file, whether they're a first year or a fifth year, in a way where the senior person trusts them to do the work. Q: Peers noted that associates are given real leadership roles on files. How early does that start for someone joining the firm? A: Immediately. We don't tend to think of people based on their year of call, but more in terms of what their skills are. We've had a first year cross-examining an expert at an arbitra- tion because that person was capable of doing it, and the associate did an excellent job. We've had first-year lawyers make argu- ments to the Court of Appeal on substantive parts of an appeal, take witnesses at trial, and run motions and small trials. The quicker we can get people doing that type of work, the better the firm is as a whole. Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP returns to the winners' list after being present five times since 2014. Respondents cite the firm's balance of criminal, commercial, and public law mandates as a point of distinction. "Balance of criminal, commercial, public law, investigations mandates of national and international importance executed at the highest standards." Babin Bessner Spry LLP Babin Bessner Spry LLP has been recog- nized in many reports going back to 2016–17. Peers point to a practical and strategic approach to resolving disputes alongside strong courtroom advocacy. "Excellent strategy and advocacy, knowl- edgeable and skilled, takes a practical approach to resolve disputes quickly and in a cost- effective manner," says one survey respondent. Cynthia Spry (CS) and Michael Bookman (MB), both partners at Babin Bessner Spry LLP in Toronto, spoke with Canadian Lawyer about what has sustained the firm's recognition. Q: Your wins have come in many cycles since 2016–17. What do you think has kept the firm in peer consideration through that stretch? CS: We've been very successful in the mandates we've achieved, really since starting the firm, and definitely since 2016, 2017. We've always thought of ourselves as a small but mighty firm, primarily because of our exceptional clients who give us the work in the first place and our exceptional team whose support facilitates the work that we do. Another piece of peer consideration is connections with other lawyers in the industry. Our senior partner, Ed Babin, came from Torys and Davies. I came from Davies and Osler, and Michael came from Davies, as well, so we have great connections that have only grown as the firm has grown. MB: Cynthia's speaking to the external factors; we get fantastic mandates, and as a result our peers regularly see us opposite them on significant, tough matters. On an internal basis, I think it's a testament to the three original partners, Ed (Edward Babin), Ellen (Bessner), and Cynthia, that there's a culture of excellence and honouring the best traditions and aspirations of the bar. That cultural element has been consistent since the very beginning. Q: Peers highlighted a practical, cost-effective approach to resolving disputes. How do you balance that against taking a hard line when a client needs to fight? CS: We try to be practical and cost-effective because we want to get the client the best possible result, whether that's through a pitched battle, fighting on every point, or just a little help to reach a negotiated resolution. We don't like waste, so we want to make sure all the work we're doing is directed to the desired outcome. But if you have a counterparty who's unreasonable, then "We think it's really important as a litigation law boutique to give people the opportunity to get into court and take on substantive pieces of a file as early in their career as possible. The only way to learn this job is to get out and do it" Jordan Goldblatt, Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP