Canadian Lawyer

EDITOR'S DESK I A gentle nudge BY GAIL J. COHEN Th e Accidental Mentor Lee Akazaki's column off ers useful mentorship advice for young lawyers. June 11 maintain practices in areas like real estate and even criminal law essentially as loss leaders. In many cases, no one really wants to continue practising in certain areas but feel they must in order to build relationships they hope will bring in more lucrative work down the road. At the same time, costs are rising and it's necessary to increase fees. As such, our Lawyers, particularly in smaller practices, continue to say they essentially have to survey reflects that while most lawyers plan to increase their rates this year, almost all will only hike them by no more than 10 per cent, with the majority keeping it below five. With almost three-quarters of the survey's respondents coming from law firms with 25 lawyers or fewer, their decisions on rates surely reflect the reality of everyday Canadians who need basic legal services. And as one respondent reflected, if you know that your competitors are not raising their fees, even if you are facing increased costs for overhead or because of more complex files, sometimes you just can't raise your rates. It's a tough balancing act, but as survey respondents also noted, they are seeking more creative ways to meet client needs while maintaining a successful business. And on that note, Canadian Lawyer is conducting a roundtable on law practice management that will examine a lot of the tricky issues of running a law firm of any size. So watch for more on that in the September issue of the magazine. Another matter that we tackle in this issue is that of law firm succession planning (see page 23). The article looks at what some lawyers are doing to ensure the ongoing success of their practices and continued service for their clients. However, it' many law firms and individual lawyers are not really planning enough for the future. As we go to press, Robert Half Legal has released a survey of 175 lawyers at the largest law firms in the United States and Canada that shows more than half (56 per cent) of law firms don't have a succession plan in place for their key leaders. To make matters worse, half of the respondents without a plan said their firms didn't intend to develop one. Not good news. Succession planning is becoming more and more important. Law s clear that 'm always fascinated by the results of the Legal Fees Survey that runs annually in the money issue (see page 32). And this year is no different as the results do tend to reflect much of what's happening in the economy at large. Human Rights . . . Here & Th ere University of Ottawa law school's Sonya Nigam's column on human rights and international law. June 11 Trials & Tribulations Margaret Waddell ruminates on issues of import and interest to litigators. June 11 Defi nitely Mabey Stephen Mabey examines the thorny issues facing law fi rm management. June 18 Th e IT Girl Sarah Dale-Harris takes a wry look at the intersection of technology and the law. June 18 David Paul's Field Notes Tips for the solo and small fi rm from B.C.'s David Paul. June 18 Trial by Fire First-year associate Lindsay Scott shares the ups and downs of learning on the job. June 18 firms and lawyers in small practices and outside major urban areas need to do it for sure, but so do big law firms with big clients. Continuity of service to clients, no matter how big or small, should be a priority for every practitioner. So if your firm has not started thinking about succession planning yet, consider this a gentle nudge in that direction. Group Publisher: Karen Lorimer Editorial Director: Gail J. Cohen gail.cohen@thomsonreuters.com Advertising Sales Representatives Staff Writer: Michael McKiernan michael.mckiernan@thomsonreuters.com Copy Editor: Katia Caporiccio Art Director: Bill Hunter Account Co-ordinator: Catherine Giles catherine.giles@thomsonreuters.com Contributors: Jean Sorensen, donalee Moulton, Kathryn Leger, Geoff Ellwand, Jennifer Brown, Kendyl Sebesta, Robert Todd Canadian Lawyer is published 11 times a year by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd., One Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Rd., Toronto ON. M1T 3V4 (416) 298-5141. Fax : (416) 649-7870 All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted without written permission. The opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the publisher. Information presented is compiled from sources believed to be accurate, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Canadian Lawyer disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. Legal Suppliers: Kimberlee Pascoe Tel: (416) 649-8875 E-mail: kimberlee.pascoe@thomsonreuters.com Law Firms: Karen Lorimer Tel: (416) 649-9411 E-mail: karen.lorimer@thomsonreuters.com Quebec Law Firms: Linda Nadon Tel: (450) 224-0055 E-mail: lnadon@universusmediagroup.com Sales Co-ordinator: Sandy Shutt Tel: (416) 649-8864 E-mail: sandra.shutt@thomsonreuters.com Canadian Lawyer Magazine Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. One Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Rd., Toronto, ON. M1T 3V4 Tel: (416) 298-5141 Fax: (416) 649-7870 E-mail: clb.cleditor@thomsonreuters.com Web: www.canadianlawyermag.com Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index Publications Mail Agreement #40766500 ISSN 0703-2129 Copyright © 2012 HST Registration #R121349799 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESS TO: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT ONE CORPORATE PLAZA 2075 KENNEDY RD., TORONTO, ON. M1T 3V4 RETOURNER TOUTE CORRESPONDANCE NE POUVANT ÊTRE LIVRÉE AU CANADA AU SERVICE DES PUBLICATIONS ONE CORPORATE PLAZA, 2075 KENNEDY RD., TORONTO, ON. M1T 3V4 Circulation/Address Changes/Subscriptions Ellen Alstein Tel: (416) 649-9926 Fax: (416) 649-7870 E-mail: ellen.alstein@thomsonreuters.com Subscription rates: Canada1 year print and digital $75 plus HST, 1 year digital only $55. Outside Canada 1 year print & digital $95, 1 year digital only $55. Student rate 1 year print and digital $38 plus HST, 1 year digital only $20 plus HST. For all circulation inquiries and address changes send a copy of your mailing label or labels along with your request in writing to Canadian Lawyer , One Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Rd., Toronto, ON. M1T 3V4 Class Acts Kirk Baert's new column takes a critical look at class action litigation in this country. June 25 Letter from Law Law Land Wit and wisdom from Vancouver's Tony Wilson. June 25 Managing Partner Forum Th e sixth part of our series from managing partners about running their law fi rms. June 25 Making Rain Executive coach Debra Forman's video column on career and business development. June 25 CANADIAN Lawye rmag.com EXCLUSIVELY ON www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com JUNE 2012 3

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