Law Times

The rise of the boutique law firm New names emerged as lawyers realized benefits of focused operations By Marg. Bruineman T hey were a group of seven lawyers at a large fi rm who concentrated on a specifi c area of law. But they wanted au- tonomy and fl exibility and to be free of the constraints of a large fi rm. And a er going out on their own, lawyers at Deeth Williams Wall LLP celebrated 20 years as an intellectual property and technology boutique law fi rm in February. "We all decided that we want- ed to do things diff erently," says Amy-Lynne Williams, who had been a partner at Blake Cassels & Graydon working with the six others in the fi rm's technology and intellectual property group. "We thought there had to be a better way to practise law." She says as friends and col- leagues, they found what they were looking for in the boutique they formed. Six of the seven founding partners remain in the fi rm, which now has 22 lawyers. And the focus is the same. But because boutiques have a specifi c focus, they can't cater to all of their clients' legal needs. While Williams and her col- leagues took most of their work with them when they le Blakes, the larger fi rm continued to serve those clients' other needs. And when a client looks to Williams for other work, she'll refer them. Growth is still an option for Deeth Williams Wall, although its approach is to build internally a er repelling off ers to merge with other fi rms. For Affl eck Greene McMur- try LLP, where 15 lawyers prac- tise litigation and competition law, growth isn't an option. "If it gets up to about 20, I start to get concerned," says Pe- ter Greene, who with seven oth- ers le a large law fi rm about 20 years ago to start a litigation bou- tique. "With a smaller operation like that, you don't have to have massive partner meetings; you just walk down the hall." e fi rm has undergone changes over the years with the insolvency group having ami- cably split off to form its own restructuring and litigation bou- tique, ornton Grout Finnigan LLP. Several boutiques have emerged over the past 25 years in practice areas like intellectual property, such as Deeth Williams Wall, labour and employment, such as Kuretzky Vassos Hen- derson LLP, tax, customs, and trade, such as Millar Kreklewetz LLP, and a growing list of other specialties. What defi nes the structure of a boutique is open to interpretation. But a niche practice is usu- ally at the core as well as the lawyers' desires to develop their own business without the struc- tures of a large fi rm. Confl icts were also part of the incentive for many of the boutiques whose lawyers saw large fi rms having to refuse certain fi les because they were in confl ict with their other clients. But it's the culture of his fi rm that Peter Griffi n takes great pride in. While Griffi n was happy at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, he was part of a group of fi ve lawyers who le together and formed what's now Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffi n LLP in 1992. "To me, the most important thing is to have a very open, transparent working re- lationship" with all of the partners and asso ciates, says Griffi n, managing partner at Lenczner Slaght. "I walk around this fi rm ev- ery day and I talk to people. So it's a cultural thing. To me, all it reinforces is a law fi rm is more of a place than just a business." e litigation practice now hovers at about 50 lawyers with 20 partners. Griffi n says the growth has worked to the fi rm's ad- vantage in cases that require a critical mass to do them. ere's also the issue of recruiting new lawyers. "To attract good people, you have to have some prospect of upward mobility," he says. Lorne Sossin sees the typical boutique fi rm as successful and innovative as well as collegial and more responsive to changes and developments. See Lawyers, page 15 www.lawtimesnews.com 'We all decided that we wanted to do things differ- ently,' says Amy-Lynne Williams Law TiMes • March 24, 2014 Page 11 At Oatley, Vigmond, we have an unparalleled understanding of what is needed for the rehabilitation, care and welfare of our clients – and their families. With over 100 combined years of experience in personal injury law, and a proven track record of success, we work tirelessly to ensure that the best possible legal outcome is achieved. If you or someone you know has been seriously injured, we would be proud to be part of their care team. After a catastrophic injury, people don't always see the whole story. Ontario's Personal Injury Law Firm Proud Member ^^^VH[SL`]PNTVUKJVT :LY]PUNJSPLU[ZHJYVZZ6U[HYPV^P[OVMÄJLZPU ;VYVU[V)HYYPL/HTPS[VU:\KI\Y`5VY[O)H` Untitled-1 1 14-03-19 9:30 AM

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