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REGIONAL WRAP-UP THE GRASS ISN'T ALWAYS grass isn't always greener on the other side. In March 2010, Ron Mar, Craig Spurn, and Edmund Gill I left Blakes and opened Venn Law LLP in Calgary. They were later joined by Kurtis Bond and Chris McLelland. Venn was a corporate law boutique with an emphasis on tax law and oil and gas transactions and projects. "Venn's business plan was heavily focused on the research, development, and implemen- tation of innovative financially efficient structures for a target clientele," says Spurn, who along with the other Venn partners has now joined McCarthy Tétrault LLP's Calgary office. Spurn says Venn's greatest challenge was staying true to its specific business purpose in its day-to-day decision-making and action taking. However, overcoming that challenge was their greatest success. "It allowed us to be efficient in making hard decisions along the way." But the hardest decision the Venn partnership had to make was to close shop. "Recent legislative developments proposed in this year's federal budget impacted our strategy and forced us to make that decision," says Spurn. After only one year in business, the lawyers at Venn decided they could better serve their clients through the platform provided by a large, inte- grated law firm rather than a small boutique. On May 2, the Venn lawyers joined McCarthys, four as partners and one as an associate. "McCarthy Tétrault offers a platform that addresses all of the needs of our oil and gas clients in a rapidly changing and sophisticated market. McCarthys' team members can provide highly specific advice in any area that our clients require particularly when involved in larger domestic and international projects. "The depth and quality of resources and expertise afforded by McCarthy in Calgary and across Canada is excellent. Being able to tap into those resources and expertise is critical to our clients who are increasingly making transactions in different jurisdictions and across different practice areas," says Spurn. Greg Turnbull, regional managing partner of McCarthys in Calgary, says the stature of Venn's lawyers in the market, their expertise, and experience will be a great fit with its cli- ents. "As partners at McCarthy, Venn's lawyers will bring with them their existing client base, shared connections, and key contacts in the market. Like us, they understand our business isn't only about law, it's about relationships." — DC 14 JUNE 2011 www. CANADIAN Lawyermag.com t wasn't too long ago that certain lawyers were extolling the benefits of going out on their own. But five lawyers from Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP found out that the The clock is ticking for B.C.'s rural lawyers today in smaller centres is 50 years of age or more. "We now have twice the amount of lawyers between 51 to 60 and three times as many between 61 to 70," says CBABC's Michael Litchfield, when statistics over the past 10 years are compared for all lawyers in B.C. But in the rural areas there are higher average ages, indicating a lack of young people willing to open law practices or join existing practices in smaller towns. The CBABC REAL report, which attempts to T encourage more articling students to seek positions outside the B.C. Lower Mainland, shows the aver- age age of lawyers in Nanaimo is 54, Prince Rupert 52, Cariboo 50, Kamloops 51, Okanagan 50, and the Kootenays 52. REAL is a set of programs being carried out in B.C. since 2009 that attempts to address the current and projected shortage of lawyers practising in small com- munities. There are just over 10,000 lawyers in B.C. and today 80 per cent are in Vancouver, Victoria, and New Westminster with 85 per cent of the 275 articling students in firms in the same cities. Only a small per- centage are willing to take positions in smaller, rural communities. Summer students quoted in a PowerPoint presen- tation by Litchfield indicated they received a high degree of support from judges and lawyers in these smaller communities. They are also presented with greater opportunities to become partners in firms as senior partners retire. REAL also attempts to ensure summer placement of students and in 2009 was able to place 11 in rural towns, 21 in 2010, and this summer had positions for another 21 with jobs listed at realbc.org. — JEAN SORENSEN jean_sorensen@telus.net he clock is ticking for rural B.C. lawyers as a Canadian Bar Association B.C. Branch study shows the average age of many rural lawyers GREENER