Canadian Lawyer InHouse

DECEmBEr 2014 46 INHOUSE the U.S., including Florida, Arizona, Minnesota, and various offices within each of those states. Mattamy has two in-house lawyers including himself. "It's a very large company so it's impossible to do it all in-house," he says. "Most companies have a major go-to law firm and then fill in some gaps that firm can't provide with boutiques. We on the other hand make use of a lot of boutiques across our various divisions and 12 offices." Kahansky says he tries to be "very strategic" in how he hires boutique firms. "We don't view firms as fungible — a lawyer isn't a lawyer isn't a lawyer — it all comes down to the expertise and relationship with the individual working on the file. That's kind of core to what boutique firms are all about. I think to a certain extent expertise in a particular area is just table stakes — there are other qualities we would look for in choosing any given boutique." For Mattamy the range of work they send out to boutiques includes its "bread and butter" — real estate — but also labour and employment and intellectual property. "It's very important to us they have knowledge of the local market. We need, and get, alternate billing arrangements so we look for receptivity to that. In almost every case we also have a relationship manager with that firm — a go- to person so we know we are being listened to when there is an issue," he says. "The hourly rate is still a default setting in many situations but with many of our boutique firms we do have either flat fees or some other type of arrangement." The fees aren't always less, but Kahansky says for him it's about balancing cost and reliable relationships with good advice: "It is fair to say if you are going with a boutique and the fee isn't less than what you'd pay a large firm you're probably getting something else out of the relationship that keeps you there." IH '' '' It is fair to say if you are going with a boutique and the fee isn't less than what you'd pay a large firm you're probably getting something else out of the relationship that keeps you there. STEVE KAHANSKY, mattamy Homes Inc. T 403 571 1520 F 403 571 1528 800, 304 - 8 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 1C2 You deserve the highest level of representation. Our job is to provide it. Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LLP focuses on providing litigation and arbitration expertise to both corporations and individuals, and takes pride in its advocacy on behalf of each one its clients. The firm provides a full range of commercial legal counsel to parties involved in a wide spectrum of businesses and industries. Whether you or your clients require legal counsel, contact JSS Barristers and let us assist you with your Alberta litigation, arbitration, and conflict matters. Learn more about JSS Barristers by visiting our website at www.jssbarristers.ca ADVOCACY IS OUR BUSINESS ntitled-1 1 2014-11-25 8:16 AM

• Cover