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rise of the employment and labour boutique. He says new ones seem to spring up every year. "We just have a greater ability to be flexible in terms of fee schedules, which really makes us quite competitive," he says. And boutiques are cementing their positions by forming their own alliances across international borders to expand referral networks in an increasingly global business landscape. Young says the firm's recent tie up with L&E Global, the Belgium-based group of 10 management- side employment boutiques, will bring in new work, as well as offer- ing domestic clients with international business a ready-made panel of counsel in foreign jurisdictions. "You also get lots of ideas from the other firms in the alliance about how to attract new business, which leads to more entrepreneurial thinking," he says. Sherrard Kuzz also branched out last year, joining the larger Employment Law Alliance, which consists of 3,000 lawyers from 135 countries around the world. "Clients feel very well looked after," says Kuzz. "I'd say it gives us bigger reach than some of the large firms, because they may not be willing to refer to firms around the world who may be competitors in other fields. We have no competition with the other members of the alliance, so it takes away that conflict issue." Our editorial team began the process of selecting Canada's top IP and labour and employment boutiques by creating a short list of the most notable firms in their respective fields. From there, we drew on the experience of in-house counsel and large-firm lawyers who refer work to these boutiques, conducting a series of confidential interviews to identify the cream of the crop. The following results are an alphabeti- cal list of the 10 boutique firms in each of the intellectual property and labour and employment categories that are most often called upon by other lawyers when stakes are high. Bereskin & Parr LLP (Toronto, Mississauga, Ont., Waterloo, Ont., Montreal) Founded in 1965 by Daniel Bereskin and Richard Parr, the firm has grown to 59 lawyers and has become one of the top IP firms in Canada. With multiple offices, this is a bou- tique that has certainly spread its wings. It also finished 2011 on a high note, merging with IP rivals Cameron MacKendrick LLP, adding its four lawyers to their ranks. It boasts a diverse client list, from clothing giants The Gap to hotel leader Marriott, with Unilever and General Electric in between. "For me, they're No. 1, no question. They're the real leading lights," says one western Canadian litigator who's faced them down in Federal Court. Sim Lowman Ashton & McKay LLP and its sister patent and trade-mark agency firm, Sim & McBurney were founded in 1970 to provide a full range of services in intellectual property and commercial litigation to a broad range of corporate and institutional clientele, both Canadian and foreign. The lawyers of Sim Lowman Ashton & McKay LLP have trial and appellate experience in the Federal Court of Canada, Federal Court of Appeal, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. The patent and trade-mark agents of Sim & McBurney file and prosecute patent, trade-mark, industrial design, integrated circuit and copyright applications in Canada and the United States, and have global connections which enable our clients to efficiently coordinate applications worldwide. The two firms cooperate to provide services in the fields of Litigation, Arbitration, Patent and Trade-Mark Agency (including Advanced Sciences and Electronics & Computers), Technology Licensing, Franchising and Packaging & Labelling. Our professionals include Ph.Ds in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, immunology and microbiology, as well as professionally qualified electrical and chemical engineers with varied backgrounds and direct work experience in both academic research and industry. 330 University Avenue, Sixth Floor Toronto, Ontario M5G 1R7 34 JAN UARY 2012 www. CANADIAN Lawyermag.com Untitled-2 1 Tel: 416-595-1155 Fax: 416-595-1163 www.sim-mcburney.com www.sim-lowman.com 2/12/10 10:27:20 AM www.bereskinparr .com Top INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 10 BOUTIQUES