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PAGE 2 NEWS September 26, 2011 • Law timeS Ont. labour law firms joining global alliances BY HEATHER GARDINER Law Times I n the latest bid by an Ontario labour and employment firm to boost its international presence, Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP has joined L&E Global. Filion Wakely made the announcement last week. Founded in 2010, L&E Global is an alliance of labour and employment boutique law firms around the world with a presence in countries including France, the United States, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Poland, and New Zealand. Filion Wakely is the 10th firm to join L&E Global and the first from Canada. Filion Wakely was established in 1982 and currently has 32 lawyers. It has offices in Toronto and London, Ont. Senior partner Roy Filion says L&E Global approached the firm a few months ago and expressed particular inter- est in its diversity, pro bono work, and professional de- velopment. L&E Global executive director Stephan Swin- kels then came to Filion Wakely's Toronto office in August to meet with members of the firm. "With [Filion Wakely's] addition, we have expanded our North American footprint, increasing our ability to provide cross-border employment law services," Swinkels said in a release. Filion says Filion Wakely was interested in joining a group of like-minded firms that provide similar services, quality, and prices. Through the partnership, Filion Wakely will be able to refer its international clients to L&E Global and vice versa. "It's a great opportunity for a firm like ours to be able to participate on the international stage and also to be able to tell our clients we have this capability now," Filion notes. In addition to serving clients, he says it's becoming more important for firms to establish an international presence "be- cause that's the way the practice of law is going these days." He referenced Ogilvy Renault LLP's merger with the Nor- ton Rose Group in June. It's yet to be seen if additional mer- gers will come to fruition as a result, but the move definitely captured the attention of the Canadian legal community. "With globalization and cross-border issues all over the place, [the partnership] just makes sense," says Filion. "And you get left behind if you don't find some way to become internationally connected in a meaningful way." Filion Wakely isn't the only Ontario labour and employ- ment law firm to join a global alliance recently. Toronto- based Sherrard Kuzz LLP, for example, teamed up with Employment Law Alliance this summer. LT Firms 'get left behind if you don't find some way to become internationally con- nected in a meaningful way,' says Roy Filion. THE MOST RELEVANT CASES RIGHT WHERE YOU NEED THEM BESTCASE All of the most relevant decisions are right on your desktop with the online research service BestCase. You'll have access to Canada's leading law reports and renowned case summary services, as well as a comprehensive collection of unreported decisions dating back to 1977. Also benefit from the case citator feature. Our diamond image helps you quickly find decisions selected by experts to identify the most relevant cases first. BESTCASE INCLUDES: • Canadian Criminal Cases — since 1898 • Dominion Law Reports — since 1912 • Labour Arbitration Cases — since 1948 • Land Compensation Reports — since 1971 • Ontario Municipal Board Reports — since 1972 A COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF UNREPORTED DECISIONS INCLUDING THOSE PUBLISHED IN: • Canada Law Book's Western Digest Services — since 1971 • All-Canada Weekly Summaries — since 1977 • Canadian Labour Arbitration Summaries — since 1986 • Weekly Criminal Bulletin — since 1977 For pricing information, contact an information solutions specialist today at 1-866-609-5811 or visit www.canadalawbook.ca CANADA LAW BOOK® www.lawtimesnews.com Photo: Heather Gardiner