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 A p r i l 2 0 1 4 33 Firm # of lawyers Locations Full service/ main practice areas Does your firm have a written pro bono policy? Are lawyers in your firm aware of your pro bono policy? Does pro bono count towards associates' billable targets? Do pro bono hours count towards billable targets for partners? Does your firm have a pro bono co-ordinator (non-partner)? Do you have a partner dedicated to pro bono co-ordination? Is pro bono considered in performance evaluations? Average annual pro bono hours per associate Average number of annual pro bono hours per partner rough which organizations does your firm connect with pro bono recipients? Does your firm provide resources and training for pro bono services? Does your firm cover disbursements on pro bono files? Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP 574 QC, ON, AB, BC FS Yes Yes Yes N.A Yes Two of our part- ners are co-chairs of the committee Yes 2013: 31 We don't track partner hours on pro bono work Numerous: at least 10 Yes Our policy is not to. Cassels Brock & Blackwell 200 ON, BC FS Yes Yes No No pro Bono Committee comprised of associ- ates and partners Two co-chairs of committee are partners Yes Not Calculated Not Calculated law Help Ontario, pro Bono law Ontario Yes Sometimes Davis LLP 251 BC, AB, ON, QC, NWT, YK FS Yes Yes Yes it depends on the matter and approvals provided in advance. No Each office's managing partner is responsible for these activities in his/her jurisdic- tion. Yes Avg. 2013: 58.93 hours. Highest was 516 hours for Sheila Tucker on Carter v. Canada. Avg. 2013: 16.48 hours. Highest was 55.90 hours for Heather Treacy. National and regional associations including the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Civil liberties Association, Access pro Bono, iNTA, United Way, among others. Yes, by way of mentorship. it depends on the nature of the matter. Dentons Canada LLP 500 AB, BC, ON, QC FS Yes Yes Yes No No Yes, in each province Yes Avgerage for associates who do pro bono is 20 - 30 hours, sometimes significantly more. We do not track this information for partners. pro Bono Students Canada, pBlO, pBlA, Access pro Bono (BC), pro Bono Quebec, Canadian Civil liberties Association, Uniterra leave for Change program, reach Canada, Cangrands Kinship Support Group, various law school and community legal aid clinics. Yes. legal resources and student training to law student participants in the Tax Court of Canada Advocacy project, legal and physical resources to high school participants in the lAWS program, full firm resources to firm lawyers who take on pro bono work. No Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP 707 BC, AB, ON, QC (+ london, Moscow, Beijing) FS Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Annual average recorded per professional (partners and associates): 8.5 hours *Note: Tracking process has only recently been formalized. pro Bono law Ontario, pro Bono Quebec, pro Bono law Alberta, Access pro Bono (B.C.), Canadian Civil liberties Association, Social Venture partners, as well as a num- ber of community-based organizations Yes in certain cases Koch Thornton LLP 3 ON litigation No - given our size, we discuss all matters individually All members of our firm are familiar with our philosophy concerning access to justice and service to the community. We do not have an hours target. All work counts. Our partnership does not have a billable hours target. We share equally in the financial implica- tions of our pro bono commitments. Not necessary in a firm of 3 lawyers. Not necessary in a firm of 3 lawyers. We evaluate the quality of our associates' work, not its profitability when assessing performance. 150 We have likely put in over 400 hours per partner for each of the past 2-3 years. Canadian Civil liberties Association. We have also taken on individual cases on the basis of a direct approach. Yes Often Lapointe Rosen- stein Marchand Melançon 707 QC FS Yes Yes No No No No No 7 7 proBono Québec No No McCarthy Tétrault LLP 550 National FS Yes Yes Yes No No Dedicated - no responsible - yes Yes 6-yr average: 16.42 2013 average: 18.7 6-yr average: 5.69 2013 average: 4.5 pro Bono law Ontario, pro Bono law Alberta, pro Bono Quebec, Access/pro Bono BC, pro Bono Students Canada, pivot legal Society, Downtown legal Services, Canadian Civil liberties As- sociation, BC Civil liberties Association, lawyers Without Borders Canada, Connect legal, Osgoode Hall SCC legal Clinics, immigration and refugee Board/peel Children's Aid Society/red Cross Yes Only if the client is unable to pay. McInnes Cooper 219 NB, NS, pEi, NFlD FS Yes. Adopted in January 2012. Yes - online learning modules, part of orientation, part of every lawyer's annual business planning. Yes Yes Yes. e co-ordinator of our Collective Social responsibility program is also the co-ordinator of the pro bono program. Yes. Special adviser Danny Graham is a member of the firm's pro bono committee, which is lawyers and the managing director of professional resources and chaired by partner Hugh Wright. Yes. We use a balanced score- card to evaluate both partners and associates. 2013: 12 hours per associate with active, ap- proved pro bono file(s) in 2013. 2013: 10 hours per partner with active, approved pro bono file(s). Canadian Civil liberties Association. To support that work, the firm created a client service team, led by partner peter rogers. Also reachAbility and the legal information Society of Nova Scotia. Online learning modules, a component of orienta- tion, library of pro bono practice resources, internal ClE. No. Exceptions are considered if the clients can cover costs. Miller Thomson LLP 459 BC, AB, SK, ON, QC FS Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 24 hours for each of 78 participants 22 hours for each of 29 participants Access pro Bono law of BC, pro Bono law Alberta, pro Bono law Ontario, pro Bono law Saskatchewan, pro Bono Quebec Yes No Norton Rose Fulbright Canada 699 QC, AB, ON FS Yes, we have had a pro bono policy for several years. Yes, policy posted internally and ex- ternally. regular presentations to practice groups on the policy and to students during recruiting. Yes Yes We have a pro bono committee that is composed of partners and non-partners. A senior partner is chairperson of the pro bono committee. Yes ere is no distinction be- tween the hours for partners and associates; we budget 30 hours per lawyer. ere is no distinc- tion between the hours for partners and associates; we budget 30 hours per lawyer. pro Bono Quebec (founding member), pro Bono law Ontario, pro Bono law Alberta, pro Bono Students of Canada, Advocates for international Development (only Canadian firm), others including redress Trust and the David Asper Centre for Constitutional rights. Yes, every pro bono file has a partner in charge who oversees the training of the lawyers on the file. We provide same resources as on a paying file, including mock runs of arguments and cross- examinations. Yes, except where we represent an NGO which has the ability to cover some costs. Also fundraise internally to raise money and awareness of pro bono programs. Thornton Grout Finnigan 19 ON restructuring, insolvency, Commercial litigation No Yes No No No No Yes Not tracked Not tracked Not tracked No Sometimes pro bono report

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