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François Amyot biomedical research facility; DRDC Valcartier, Canada's leading defence research and development centre; and the National Optics Institute, or INO, Canada's biggest optics and photonics research centre — were all started up and are staffed by graduates of the ar- ea's many vocational schools, technical colleges, specialized François Vallières institutes, and Laval University, North America's first and fore- most francophone school. The centres have created hundreds of high-paying jobs and generated dozens of spinoff companies. Many of the region's top firms have altered and expanded their services to attract and keep pace with this new and emerg- ing clientele. "Quebec City is still a relatively small or mid-sized commercial market, and there are only so many deals in a region like ours, so it's important to be plugged into a team working on deals that sometimes don't have anything to do with Quebec City," says François Amyot, former managing partner of McCarthy Té- trault's Quebec City office who now heads up its business practice group. "That being said, however, there are some really amazing people and products here to which we can put our expertise to contribution." One way his and other major firms have done that, he adds, has been through the development of an integrated, practice group-based approach that is driven by the client's needs, everything from the setting up of project financing and engineering to buyouts and takeovers in the U.S. and other fast-changing markets. Or, alternatively, the acquisition of local companies by foreign buyers. "It's led us to do a lot of cross-bor- der work on behalf of Quebec City- based companies." "There are many more interesting things to do here now for lawyers," adds Cimon. Another evolution in legal prac- the tice as a result of the transformed business landscape — and the ad- vent of high-tech companies that rely on R&D and the protection and/or transfer of technology and IP — has been a decline in the need to haggle with clients over fees. "That was traditional practice," says Louis Rochette, managing part- ner of the city's oldest firm, Lavery de Billy, which has 185 lawyers in four offices. Of the two doz- en in its provincial capital of- fice, three, including Rochette, work full-time on files in- volving the commercializa- tion of R&D-driven products, which includes everything from drawing up contracts between research centres and pharmaceutical companies to licensing and the financing of David Blair grant monies. "Now 'value-added' is the important thing. It's all about what we can bring to the deal." As a result, he adds, the city's larger firms have abandoned some traditional fields, like insurance law, which now rely on small law firms that are ready to accept modest fees. "All the real action is in commer- cial law here now [and] the services you need to have and offer are far more complex." According to David Blair, a partner with Heenan Blaikie Fun inCity Aubut whose family roots were planted in Quebec City in 1832 the increase in cross-border busi- ness, in particular, has provided tremendous advantages for the handful of true English-speaking lawyers in a city that is 95 per cent French-speaking. "Quebec City is an intimidating place for people from outside who want to do busi- ness here," he says. "Some of our regulatory regimes are unique, like the need to register companies in French. Many want and need a lawyer who can help them under- stand and comply." For François Vallières, with Que- Quebec City is fun to visit any time. But this year the picturesque provincial capital is serving up a lot more amusement than usual. Thanks in large part to al- most $100 million in funding from the federal government alone, the city has been spruced up handsomely for the 400th anni- versary of its founding in 1608 by French explorer Samuel de Champlain. In addition to performances by some of the big- gest names in show business, like Céline Dion and the Cirque du Soleil, which was born here, there are dozens of original activities and events on the program calendar throughout the year (includ- ing 72 on Aug. 17, the day the CBA conference begins) that cover five thematic areas: art and cul- ture, history and heritage, sports and recreation, environment, science and technology, and life and society. For more information, visit the organizing com- mittee's web site at www.quebec400.qc.ca. — MK www. bec's biggest firm, Langlois Kronström Desjardins, an added benefit of practising law here is the variety of work and the quality of life. "Quebec City is not a first-tier city, and you can probably earn more in Montreal or Toronto, [but] there are some really good and interesting things going on here — and it's a great place to raise a family," says the 38-year-old father of two. At the same time, he adds, lawyers here are highly quali- fied — and are a bargain compared to rates elsewhere. "We work with many new and emerging clients so we can only charge what they can afford, but we help them to grow and when they get bigger, their transactions get bigger, so every- one wins." Law ye rmag.com A UGUST 2008 51