Canadian Lawyer

the province's Trade Union Act, parties will get a helping hand as they begin negotiations. As soon as a new union is certified, Department of Labour and Advanced Education staff will pro- vide "education" on how to negotiate a The Act to Prevent Unnecessary Labour Disruptions and Protect the Economy is available at: mutually agreeable first contract. Business contends the helping hand is not needed, pointing to the stability of the labour relations environment in Nova Scotia over the past decade. In only three cases during this time have bad faith bargaining complaints been laid, notes Durnford. The government contends the purpose of the new legislation is not to improve the climate for union organizers but to avoid costly strikes that harm everyone. "A stable labour environment — people at work, rather than on a picket line — is a key ingredient of productivity," Labour Minister Marilyn More said in a release. Bill 102 is not unique to Nova Scotia. Six other provinces have first contract legislation in place, but of these, only Manitoba builds in arbitration as a mat- ter of course to ultimately ink a deal. It's a model Nova Scotia has now adopted. Its impact remains to be seen. — DM CENTRAL BRAVE NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WAVES W hen BCF LLP decid- ed to freshen up its web site and pop its online profile — like many law firms have been doing — it did something unlike other mainstream business law firms. Scrolling down the front page — below the prominently displayed "Manifesto" declaring BCF's desire to "shake up the conven- tional, rethink the status quo, transform how business law is practiced," [sic] and a constantly changing plethora of content, online visitors can click through to a section that outlines the fee scale for some of its corporate services. Sure, BCF organized a "120 lunches" business development event last fall that saw the firm offering free lunches at the trendy new downtown F Bar restaurant run by famed Montreal restaurateur Carlos Ferreira. Respondents — 90 per cent of whom had no previous contact with the firm and 80 per cent of whom were entrepreneurs — were paired up for a one-on-one lunch with a lawyer suited to the specialty advice they were seeking. "We did not revolutionize the busi- ness world by doing that, but moving BCF lawyers in a group the listing is not extensive and most are very structured, but the posting saves clients (and the firm) time and people can clearly know and then plan their legal spend, says Mario Charpentier, managing partner of BCF, which now boasts 180 legal profes- sionals working in 22 "strategic mul- tidisciplinary teams" in Montreal and Quebec City. "It's for predictability and transparency," says Charpentier, adding that the firm is considering expanding the list beyond incorporating, annual filings and declarations, and agent and head office fees, to include basic intel- lectual property fees. "We are conscious that our competitors can see but we have nothing to hide, for us it is the expertise and quality of service that counts." In another non-traditional market- ing move to get closer to what the entre- preneurial segment is actively targeting, to a place to host people and listen to their concerns, desires, dreams, and business proposals and enable them to ask questions, maybe that was unique," says Charpentier. "We want to be close to our entrepreneurs and innovators and get to know them and new trends. Often [in a law office] you can get caught up in day-to-day technicalities. We helped them but they helped us." — KATHRYN LEGER kathryn.leger@videotron.ca www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com M A RCH 2012 7 nslegislatur annual%20statut e.c a/leges/2011/c071.pdf. s/ c/PD F

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