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ThE PRAIRIES Model employees T hey don't handle cases, make impas- sioned pleas in the courtroom, or negotiate settlements, but Elin Anderson and Melanie Janis are two of Pitblado LLP's most valuable employees. The two service clerks, who are charged with restocking and cleaning the law firm's coffee-break rooms and lunch areas, are part of a work placement program run by Work and Social Opportunities, a Winni- peg-based employment agency supporting people with intellectual disabilities. Bruce King, Pitblado's managing part- ner, says the pair brings multiple benefits to the table. Not only do they perform well but their sunny dispositions have helped to educate their co-workers about accepting people who are a little different. "They're model employees. If every one of my employees was as punctual, reliable, and friendly as they are. . . .When you walk by, they always have a friendly hello for you. I don't think either of them ever has a bad day," he says. "Our break areas are absolutely spic and span. There's never a coffee cup leſt around." King says the two are very much part of the law firm's family and there's never a shortage of volunteers to drive them to the annual office picnic every summer. "The staff sees them as part of our community. It reinforces people's understanding that not everyone has the same giſts and validates the need to be accommodating," he says. King also does his best to take care of unexpected needs, too. Recently, WASO MOVES AND SHAKES IS ONLINE If you or anyone in your firm has made a move, won recent accolades, or done anything else noteworthy that should be shared with your colleagues across the country, let us know. E-mail your moves and shakes to moves@ clbmedia.ca. We'll be updating the web site daily, so keep your eyes on www.canadianlawyermag.com to see what your friends and colleagues are up to. For more information, call 1-800-328-2898 or visit www.lexisnexis.ca/pclaw. Download and Try PCLaw for FREE* † Valid with purchase of PCLaw. Certain conditions apply. * Download PCLaw free for 30 days. Certain conditions apply. informed him that Janis, who works part- time, needed to double her workload to be eligible for an independent living arrange- ment. There wasn't enough work for her at the law firm but King made a few phone calls and was able to find a willing employer — neighbouring accounting firm Deloitte. "Deloitte jumped on this." he says. — GEOFF KIRBYSON gmkirbyson@shaw.ca Practice Management PCLaw™ LexisNexis® Limited Time Offer! Free Web-Based Training Session† Accounting software that SPEAKS LEGALESE. PCLaw™ billing and accounting software is made for legal professionals and has features you just won't fi nd in ordinary accounting software. Time tracking, legal and trust accounting, billing, client identifi cation and verifi cation and more are integrated in one package, so you can manage your books and practice more effi ciently. Best of all, it's easy to use and ready to go to work instantly. LexisNexis and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under licence. PCLaw is a trademark of LexisNexis Practice Management Systems Inc. © 2009 LexisNexis Canada Inc. All rights reserved. www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com SEPTEMBER 2009 11 ntitled-1 1 8/11/09 8:23:02 AM