Canadian Lawyer InHouse

27 CANADIANLAWYERMAG.COM/INHOUSE NOVEMBER 2016 LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT BOUTIQUES Cavalluzzo Shilton McIntyre Cornish LLP Office location: Toronto Website: cavalluzzo.com Total lawyers: 35 Key clients: Laborers' International Union of North America, Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, Ontario Nurses' Association, Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario and the Society of Energy Professionals Emond Harnden LLP Office location: Ottawa Website: ehlaw.ca Total lawyers: 34 Key clients: hospitals, school boards, avia- tion, universities/colleges, manufacturing, municipalities and governmental and non-governmental employers Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP Office locations: Toronto, Hamilton, London, Ont. Website: filion.on.ca Total lawyers: 42 Key clients: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Home Depot, National Steel Car, McMaster University and Roots Harris & Company LLP Office location: Vancouver Website: harrisco.com Total lawyers: 45 Key clients: Seaspan ULC, B.C. Public School Employers' Association, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and Pacific Newspaper Group Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP Office locations: Toronto, Waterloo, Kingston, Ottawa, London, Ont. Website: hicksmorley.com Total lawyers: 122 Key clients: universities, financial institutions, school boards and manufacturers Canada's Top boutiques & Largest full-service Prairie firms I n-house counsel are constantly chal- lenged to fi nd the right legal providers for the problem at hand, and at the same time the solution also has to fi t the always- under-pressure budget. For many corporate counsel, seeking the advice of lawyers in boutique law fi rms has proven successful for many areas of law in- cluding intellectual property, labour and employment, corporate and litigation mat- ters whether it's dealing with domestic or foreign issues around the globe. Sandeep Gill is legal counsel with Volaris Group, an operating group of Constellation Software Inc. The legal team supports 60 business units. Gill does commercial work for those units and they use a broad range of law fi rms — often boutiques around the world. Gill was previously general counsel at a software company before moving to Volar- is. She has used boutique fi rms locally and internationally for certain kinds of work. "We used a number of boutique fi rms and in particular a small HR boutique in Mississauga for labour and employment issues," she says. "They really cared about their clients and were supportive and en- gaged. We used them for the specialization more than anything." While the depth and breadth of a full-service fi rm can be effective, Gill says using a specialized boutique fi rm can get to the heart of a matter quickly. "There are defi nitely benefi ts with BY JENNIFER BROWN Boutique and regional fi rms are becoming the go-to destination for in-house counsel looking for tailored legal services. The following is an alphabeticalized listing of top labour and employment, intellectual property, litigation and corporate boutique law fi rms as determined by a survey of readers of Canadian Lawyer magazine. 1O TOP

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