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REGIONAL WRAP-UP Keeping up with the Bennett Joneses Of the top 50 best places to work in Canada, only one is a law firm. And according to the "50 Best Employers in Canada" survey con- ducted by consulting firm Hewitt Associates and The Globe and Mail's Report on Business, that law firm is Bennett Jones LLP. Bennett Jones — which has 326 lawyers plus support staff, adding up to almost 900 people in Calgary, Edmonton, and To- ronto — placed fourth overall in this year's rankings. It's the sixth time the firm has been on the list. The firm's ranking has risen from 34th place in 2003 to fourth place for the second consecutive year. Over that time, the firm's staff has grown nearly 40 per cent. Al- most half of those staff sent back voluntary responses to this year's survey. Hugh L. MacKinnon, Bennett Jones' chairman and CEO, says he thinks a lot of the firm's success goes back to its roots in Calgary, which he considers a very egalitarian city. He notes that most peo- ple in Calgary are from somewhere else, so when you move into the "neighbourhood" people are friendly, welcoming, and want to get to know you. "We try to be nice," he says. "It doesn't sound very sophisticated but it works." The firm really "walks the talk on core values," says MacKinnon. Finding themselves near the top of the heap of Canadian employ- ers reinforces the firm's focus on values such as mutual respect, professional excellence, and personal integrity. "There was also a lot of positive feedback about the firm's collegial atmosphere," says Daryl Refvik, the firm's national human resources director. BJ will be throwing a big party to celebrate the ranking. To participate in the Best Em- ployers in Canada study, an orga- nization must have at least 400 permanent employees in Canada and have operated in Canada for at least three years. Detailed questionnaires are distributed to employees, a comprehensive human-resources-practices survey is completed by HR personnel, and a leadership team survey is completed by top executives. Hewitt also examines how closely employees' and leaders' goals are aligned, and whether workplace practices and programs reinforce that corporate vision. While there are no other law firms in this top employer survey, Hugh L. MacKinnon Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP was ranked one of the Top 100 Em- ployers in the 2007 annual Maclean's list. — GAIL J. COHEN gcohen@clbmedia.ca McGillivray not guilty of impaired driving charges I n an oral decision handed down on Jan. 11 in Calgary Provincial Court by Justice M.G. Allen, past president of the Law Society of Al- berta Doug McGillivray was found not guilty of the charges of impaired driving and driving over .08 be- cause of "evidence to the contrary," according to court personnel. The case involving McGillivray, a partner with Burnet Duckworth & Palmer LLP in Calgary, had been winding its way through the courts for the last 18 months or so. McGillivray's lawyer, Alain Hep- ner of Calgary firm Ross Hepner, says that it was "the right ruling" and that he thinks "the acquittal speaks for itself." — HELEN BURNETT hburnett@clbmedia.ca Getting in on the ground level A Winnipeg-based law firm is hop- ing its sponsorship of a high-tech incubator will evolve into an effec- tive client recruitment tool. Fillmore Riley LLP is committing money, time, and effort to the "Eureka Project," a community of start-up companies at the University of Manitoba's Smart- park. The incubator is home to 10 high-tech firms in nutritional and ag- ricultural sciences; information and communications technology; engineer- ing and advanced materials, health and biotechnology; and environmental solu- tions. Peter Davey, a partner at Fillmore Riley and the chairman of its securities group, says the purpose of the incubator is to help entrepreneurs turn their brain- storms into successful enterprises. "If there's a new company out there, we'd like to promote our services to them," 8 FEBRU AR Y 2008 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com ThE PRAiRiES he says. "People with great ideas go to incubators because they need business advice. Part of that, in our view, is legal advice." Fillmore Riley's role will include giv- ing seminars on topics such as intellec- tual property, capital raising, protecting rights, and completing transactions to ensure the companies get off the ground properly and stay afloat for the long term. Steven Raber, another partner at Fillmore Riley and the chairman of its technology, intellectual property, and trademark practice groups, says the firm