Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 29 actually work in the office at any given moment — not the total number of law- yers who happen to be on the payroll. As far as recruitment goes, many pro- spective hires are not only fine with such arrangements, they actually regard it as a plus. "This is how millennials see them- selves working in 2017," Callon tells me, gesturing toward a large communal space segmented into neighbourhoods with (slightly too cute) names such as "Litiga- tion Lane," "IP/IT Intersection" and "Cor- porate Secretary Cul-de-sac." "A lot of young lawyers are free spirits with a laptop and a cellphone," Callon adds. "If they were coming through our [old] space on King St., they'd say that's where their grandmothers worked." T he trend toward open-concept space in law firms represents a change in the way lawyers relate to their work and to one another. But it is also part of a broader trend in the way the legal community relates to the rest of the business world. The marketing approach favoured by many modern firms tends to stress the lawyer's role not as a guild spe- cialist but as a collegial consultant who can improve corporate bottom lines by operat- ing collaboratively with entrepreneurs. As such, the conventions of law inevitably will come to resemble those of other fields. In our discussions about architecture, Sixta, Walker, Bédard and Callon all told me that they were mindful of trends taking place in fields well beyond law — such as accountancy, real estate management and information technology. In late October, I drove due west from Toronto to the Lake Huron port town of Goderich (pop. 7,628). Few Canadians have even heard of the place. But it has a rich history going back centuries, and it remains home to the largest underground salt mine in the world — an underground marvel that occupies seven square kilo- metres. Goderich is also a town that situates law at the centre of civic life. Its downtown area is based around an eight-sides road octagon known (somewhat confusingly) as "The Square." (John Galt, the original Canada Company commissioner who cre- ated the plan, reportedly was inspired by the Roman architect Vitruvius.) And in the middle of this stands the art deco-inspired Huron County Courthouse, the histor- ic site where Steven Truscott was falsely convicted of raping and murdering Lynne Harper in 1959. I'd come to Goderich to interview Hea- ther Joy Ross, the founding partner and general counsel of The Ross Firm Profes- sional Corp., whose second-floor offices span two of the Square's legacy build- ings, once occupied by a (now-defunct) department store and an apartment block. Six years ago, the Ross firm renovated this 6,000-square-foot space not once, but twice. The first iteration was completed in the summer of 2011, just in time to be wrecked by a freakish tornado that ripped through Goderich in late August. A few weeks later, the very same build-design team, Hugh Burgsma Complete Construc- tion, came back to do the whole thing over again. In Toronto, this sort of high-end office construction would easily cost seven figures. But in Goderich, where skilled Order # 804218-65203 $537 2 volume looseleaf supplemented book Anticipated upkeep cost – $480 per supplement 4-6 supplements per year Supplements invoiced separately 0-88804-218-3 Shipping and handling are extra. Price(s) subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes. Jurisdiction: Canada (National) Canadian Employment Law Stacey Reginald Ball More than 7,000 cases cited Canadian Employment Law is a one-stop reference that provides a thorough survey of the law and analysis of developing trends, suggesting potential avenues of attack as well as identifying potential weaknesses in the law. Canadian Employment Law has been cited by the Supreme Court of Canada, in superior courts in every province in Canada, and is used in law schools throughout Canada. Available risk-free for 30 days Order online: www.carswell.com Call Toll-Free: 1-800-387-5164 In Toronto: 416-609-3800 Also available online on WestlawNext® Canada EmploymentSource™ © 2018 Thomson Reuters Canada Limited 00234UC-84746-CE Also available through your web browser or download to your desktop or tablet. Learn more about ProView eBooks at store.thomsonreuters.com/ ProView * Thomson Reuters ProView options not applicable to bookstores, academic institutions, and students. 82 Scollard Street, Toronto, Canada, M5R 1G2 Contact Stacey Ball at (416) 921-7997 ext. 225 or srball@82scollard.com web: www.staceyball.com Ball Professional Corporation Excellence in Employment & Labour Law • Counsel in Leading Cases • • Author of Leading Treatise • Wrongful Dismissal Employment Law Human Rights Post Employment Competition Civil Litigation Appellate Advocacy Disability Referrals on behalf of employees and employers respected all_CL_Mar_12.indd 1 12-03-13 2:27 PM

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