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 N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 4 23 law offiCE ManagEMEnt Going small Opportunities abound as small-town lawyers are looking for younger professionals to carry the torch in their communities. by Marg. bruineMan w hen Harry Byers began consider- ing his retire- ment options, he reached out to the profession in search of a successor. His goal was to attract a young lawyer to the small community of Fairview, Alta., 550 kilometres northwest of Edmonton to eventually replace him. Initial attempts to attract an associate didn't work out and retirement drew closer so he searched for someone to purchase his practice. There was some interest after the 2008 recession hit the legal industry hard in Alberta, but still no bites. Finally a firm in Grande Prairie, Alta., showed interest and purchased the practice, where Byers continues to fill in on a very part-time basis. But the lawyers who now work in Fairview are only there part of the week, commuting 120 kilometres from Grande Prairie. "I don't think we'll see another lawyer here in this town of 3,000 again," says Byers with sadness. Cyril Gurevitch, himself now consid- ering retirement options, knows Byers' struggle all too well. As a former presi- dent of the Canadian Bar Association's Alberta branch Gurevitch struggled with the issue, having seen many communities lose lawyers to retirement with no pros- pects waiting or willing to fill their shoes. "I spent a full year and a half to highlight the difficulty the smaller communities outside the larger cities are having recruit- ing and maintaining lawyers, particu- larly in the face of a clear demographic that is showing an aging population," says Gurevitch, who practises in Grande Prairie. "We're not keeping pace." While 52 per cent of Alberta's popula- tion lived in the province's two large cities in 2012, the great majority of lawyers live in those cities: 6,636 of 7,742. That leaves 1,106, or 15 per cent to serve the other 48 per cent of Albertans. The average age of those who do practise in the rural areas is older and many don't have transition plans. Often, when they retire, their practices close up as well. Gurevitch sees it largely as a market- ing issue, leaving the smaller communi- ties that don't have the resources of large firms at a disadvantage. The profession targeted communities like Medicine Hat, Red Deer, and Lethbridge encouraging the formation of groups including com- munity leaders, business organizations, and lawyers to drive efforts. Some of them, including Grande Prairie, host an annual barbecue inviting law school students who hail from the community to return and meet with local lawyers and firms — where they might even rub shoulders with the provincial justice minister. fAye rogers

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