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 A P R I L 2 0 1 8 33 reckoned with," noting that most in-house lawyers have been exposed to their ser- vices and understand how they work and what they can do for an organization. Law firms, he says, may have to re-adjust their "bespoke lens" to compete. Harry Andersen, vice president, legal and general counsel at Pembina Pipeline Corporation, says that the Big Four's North American legal strategy appears focused on tax and related services. He is worried for law firms should that change. "If [the Big Four] were interested in get- ting some of the right people to lead their team, they could make a very big impact. They could bring a level of commoditiza- tion and cost savings that I don't think law firms are going to be able to do." That's because law firms, he says, "do not have the infrastructure and, more impor- tantly, neither do they have the leader- ship or capability to do what account- ing firms are capable of doing in terms of providing fiscally prudent consulting services to businesses." Rob Landry, head of global HR at Magna International and former chief operating officer at Gowling WLG Canada, is worried that law firms do not take the Big Four threat seriously and are too complacent. He says many in the profession believe that the Big Four will stick to tax and immi- gration and nibble at the edge of M&A and due diligence work. "I do not believe that for a second. Big Law is so insular when they think [about] competitors [and] other big law firms. They have blinders on." Raising the Big Four's legal services strategy with lawyers generates a wide range of opinion. Some firms say they are borrowing from the Big Four's playbook and developing a broader range of business services that go beyond traditional law. Kevin Coon, managing partner of the Toronto office of global law firm Baker & McKenzie, says the Big Four are "serious competitors" and law firms can learn from them. For example, "the use of non-lawyer timekeepers has exploded," he says, as his firm adds complementary professionals, such as economists, privacy experts and information governance professionals. In June, Baker McKenzie opened The BIG FOUR DELOITTE Revenues: US$38.8 billion Employees: 263,900 Notable fact: In 2017, Deloitte added 70,000 new professionals, the equivalent of hiring one person every eight minutes. Legal network: 1,800 lawyers; 69 jurisdictions Global legal services: corporate, compliance, reorganizations, mergers, anti-trust, private equity, tax, contracts, insolvency, real estate, intellectual property, litigation, estates and trusts, employment, labour, immigration, pension Canada legal services: tax law and tax litigation PWC Revenues: US$37.7 billion Employees: 236,000 Notable fact: Revenues rose seven per cent in 2017, including 14 per cent in central and eastern Europe. Legal network: 2,500 lawyers; 85 jurisdictions Global legal services: entity governance and compliance, immigration, M&A, employment, restructuring, anti-trust, banking and finance, cybersecurity, energy, financial services regulation, information technology, intellectual property, private client, real estate, public law, tax litigation and white collar crime Canada legal services: immigration, tax E&Y Revenues: US$31.4 billion Employees: 247,600 Notable fact: E&Y uses more than 1,100 robotic processes to support its business and clients. Legal network: 2,100 lawyers; 82 jurisdictions Global legal services: corporate, labour and employment, transaction law, digital law Canada legal services: tax, business immigration, business law KPMG Revenues: US$26.40 billion Employees: 197,263 Notable fact: KPMG grew its advisory revenue by six per cent in 2017, including 15-per-cent growth in Asia Pacific. Legal network: 2,200 lawyers; 53 jurisdictions Global legal services: corporate, M&A, securities, technology, tax advisory and dispute, workplace and employment, real estate Canada legal services: tax, immigration BY THE NUMBERS

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