Canadian Lawyer

32 M A R C H 2 0 1 7 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m lawyers to serve that growth is a challenge. We have been fortunate to have some lawyers come back to Saskatchewan from other provinces, but it still remains a chal- lenge." Keith LaBossiere, CEO and man- aging partner of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP, says a growing trend he's noticed is out-of-province clients. "With technology these days and how much we do online, over the phone or otherwise, it doesn't matter where you're located," he says. "If you can do the same kind of product or better product at a much cheaper price, it makes a lot of sense to people to do it that way." LaBossiere also notes that downtown Winnipeg is undergoing "a renaissance" with new builds and renovations, and his firm will be moving into True North Square next year: It's a $400-million-plus project he calls a "once-in-a-generation- type development." As founding partner in the office tower, TDS will be taking the top three floors. "It's a significant move because many of the larger law firms have been situ- ated at the corner of Portage and Main for many, many years and this is a move away from that. Really what it's doing is it's strengthening downtown in its entirety," he says. But for the Prairies overall, the MLT Aikins merger has been an important milestone. "This is the first time there's a mul- tijurisdictional firm of any size operat- ing in the province, so it will start to change the local dynamics a little bit," says Peters. "As a firm goes into another jurisdic- tion, that will impact prior referral agen- cy and affiliation relationships and it can create both legal and business conflicts. There will most certainly be some shak- ing out of some of those relationships now, and it's started already." Despite the challenges it might pose, Peters says, more importantly, it also creates some "significant opportunities," calling the aftermath of the merger an exciting time for everybody. Every firm has had to weigh the pros and cons of national versus regional, and while Fillmore Riley hasn't headed down the national road yet, "we always have to evaluate what's best for our client base and for our own firm profitability and culture," says Peters. Kent Davidson, chair of Miller Thomson LLP, says his firm has been "decidedly" pan-Canadian and it hasn't developed any "manifest destiny" to expand to other jurisdictions. The MLT Aikins merger "validates to some degree the approach we've always taken to our own growth and plans," he says. "I think it's certainly an attractive movement for anyone who is serving the large national clients. I wouldn't be surprised to see an enhanced interest in the market insofar as national firms are concerned." LaBossiere agrees, saying the merger is "an indication there's a lot going on in the Prairie provinces and, ultimately, I think it's going to be good for all of us in this region." TOP PRAIRIE FIRMS Taylor McCaffrey has been providing advice and solutions for Manitoba businesses for more than 50 years. Proud to be named by Canadian Lawyer as one of Manitoba's Top 5 Law Firms. ntitled-5 1 2017-02-09 3:08 PM

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