The most widely read magazine for Canadian lawyers
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50810
REGIONAL WRAP-UP UNIQUE IN NAME AND CONCEPT P ascale Pageau has proven that motherhood can mean more than giving birth to and raising chil- dren. More out of necessity than any- thing else because of her growing family, the mother of three created a law firm with both a unique name — Delegatus Services Juridiques Inc. — and concept — top quality at reasonable prices. The once-aspiring associate with a major firm had a change of plans after seven years at Desjardins Ducharme LLP, where she articled in 1997 and remained until 2000, and BCF LLP. After returning to BCF following the arrival of her sec- ond child in 2004, Pageau found it too difficult to balance work and family so decided to strike out on her own. She started Delegatus in June 2005 and, straying from the tradition of naming firms after the founders, chose instead the Latin word meaning "delegate." It's a good description of the growing busi- ness that has delegated the legal prob- lems of its clients, mainly companies and other law firms. "Groups like ours didn't exist before in Canada," Pageau says. "With the economy what it is, we will be- come even more popular." Pageau, who globe — launched its Value Challenge last fall. As Delegatus does, it seeks to re- connect value to costs for legal services and aims to provide networks, tools, and dialogue for both in-house and outside counsel to help better manage clients' legal affairs. That follows Pageau's model of recon- necting value and costs for legal services. "It's going very well because we offer different services than other firms for a lot cheaper," she explains. "With the re- cession, companies have to cut their big costs and legal expenses can be huge." She points out that, "over the past 10 years, even junior lawyers have been charging a lot [for their services]." Although Delegatus has a sparse office CENTRAL CANADA turns 34 this month, could be seen as a visionary. Others, in- cluding the Big Law firms, seem to finally be catching up to what Pageau's already been doing for nearly four years — of- fering what has become the Delegatus motto: "affordable knowledge." The Washington, D.C.-based Associa- tion of Corporate Counsel — the world's largest organization serving the profes- sional and business interests of lawyers who practise in the legal departments of corporations, associations, and other private-sector organizations around the in the tony 1 Place Ville Marie building downtown that is home to some of Mon- treal's biggest firms, most of her team's work is done either from their homes or their clients' offices to keep costs down and pass the savings on. "Our services are directly related to the policies and philosophies which are now adopted by more and more businesses regard- ing a healthy ad- ministration of finances and re- sources," Pageau ex- plains. The objective is more to form close partnerships with businesses and other legal firms. There are no juniors on staff. Each of the seven other lawyers has a minimum of five years' experience either at big firms or in corporate legal depart- ments. Anik Fontaine, formerly of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, joined Del- egatus in 2007, then last April became vice president and co-shareholder with Pageau. Rounding out the team are Marie-France Nantel, Nathalie Ro- bichaud, Louis-Charles Chartrand, Delegatus Services Juridiques Inc. president Pascale Pageau, left, and vice president Anik Fontaine. Marie-Josée Robert, Paul Martin, and Karine Poulin. "We want to add more expertise in 2009 and increase our portfolio, but not grow at any cost," Pageau tells Canadian Lawyer. The current principal fields of exper- tise offered by Delegatus include: civil and commercial litigation; insurance; civil and professional liability; banking law; insolvency and bankruptcy; busi- ness law; and real estate law. While no longer doing billable work herself, Pageau continues managing the company and doing its marketing. Last October, one month after giving birth to her third child, Pageau was named the new entrepreneur of the year by the Réseau des femmes d'affaires du Québec Inc. "I was very happy with that award," she says of the recognition from the provincial businesswomen's network. Pageau received a similar honour in May 2006 when she was selected as the top young professional in Quebec at the 29th ARISTA-BMO Bank of Montreal Provincial Competition organized by the city's young chamber of commerce. At the time, she was the young bar as- sociation representative on the Barreau de Montréal. — MIKE KING mking@videotron.ca www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com FEBRU AR Y 2009 9 PHOTO: DIMITRI KALACHNIKOFF PHOTOGRAPHY