Law Times

Page 8 February 6, 2017 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com Small firms look at adding specialties Broadening services means more business? BY MARG. BRUINEMAN For Law Times M ore than a decade ago, François Sau- vageau was practis- ing law in Toronto. But, after studying how external pressures were impacting the legal industry, he decided it was time to shift gears. In 2007, Sauvageau began the second stage of his career by starting his own practice. He charged f lat fees or worked on contingency, shar- ing the risk with the client. It worked. Then he set his sights on the collections industry, which has been operating separately and apart from the legal industry. With the purchase of the first of two collection agencies in 2009 and with the help of tech- nology and a legal approach to that business, Sauvageau has set out to disrupt debt collection through CTL Law. "Clients were not just looking for lawyers anymore, they were actually looking for someone who [was] bringing an added value to their business," he says. Sauvageau is one of a grow- ing brand of lawyers who has looked beyond his traditional legal practice by offering ad- ditional services to expand his market. Adding more than just a dash of entrepreneurial spirit to the legal profession is becom- ing an increasingly important approach, particularly for those just starting, says Ottawa-based consultant and legal market an- alyst Jordan Furlong. He says law careers where a person works at the same firm for decades is becoming less common. "The reason why entrepre- neurialism is going to become so important [is] the infrastruc- ture by which people enter the legal profession and find careers is starting to break down," says Furlong. "Many of them understand the initial course of their legal careers is really going to be up to them. "They have to rely on them- selves much more than lawyers of previous generations." Going to law school, finding an articling position, landing a summer job at a firm, becom- ing an associate and working toward becoming partner is the traditional route that Furlong sees "narrowing." New lawyers are going to have to find or create new ways to develop careers within the le- gal sector, says Furlong. Chris Bentley, who heads up the Law Practice Program at Ry- erson and the incubator Legal Innovation Zone, says young lawyers are being required to learn how to navigate a new marketplace. "What lawyers are starting to do is to think about the cus- tomer not just as needing a legal service but as needing a solution or a wraparound service gener- ally," says Bentley. So lawyers are finding ways to complement the legal services they provide and developing closer relationships. Rajah Lehal is another lawyer who decided to break away from a traditional practice. First, in 2009, he developed a fixed-fee, contract legal services provider called Cobalt Lawyers. In 2012, he launched Clause- hound, a digital tool that assists in contract drafting for busi- nesses. "I just saw an opportunity in technology to improve a couple [of ] things. "One was the way we trained young lawyers on how contracts mechanically worked, and two [was] how to educate those who are largely startup companies on how to understand the me- chanics of legal documents," says Lehal. Clausehound is now being used at Ryerson's Law Practice Program and the business has been located in space at the in- cubator LIZ and received sup- port from Toronto-based inno- vation hub MaRS, where Lehal was connected with an angel investor. While it is in use and avail- able for purchase, Clausehound continues to undergo improve- ments. More features are being add- ed with a goal of providing more sophisticated functionality and there is expansion into more American states and the United Kingdom. Lehal, a lawyer who concen- trated on entrepreneurialism as a business student and worked in business prior to law, sees a shift in the legal market and pos- sibly an oversupply of lawyers causing those within it to push the boundaries. "These pressures could change the practice to require more en- trepreneurialism," says Lehal. But the startups aren't all technology based. Toronto-based Kate De- whirst says she identifies as an entrepreneur and enjoys her work in her self-named health law practice. However, she says she sees other young lawyers working in firms where they feel confined to their desks by "golden hand- cuffs." As a result, she is developing a coaching business to help other lawyers to achieve more satisfac- tion from their practices. "I already take an entrepre- neurial lens to my practice and I want to show other lawyers how to do that, too," says Dewhirst. "If lawyers can look at their practices as businesses and how can you broaden your impact, it frees up lawyers to have more fun." Her approach involves break- ing down time into components and examining the time spent and the impact the lawyer is hav- FOCUS ON Legal Innovation François Sauvageau says he tried to expand his market by offering additional services beyond a traditional legal practice. See Law, page 12 FOCUS IT'S TIME TO RANK… WHICH DO YOU THINK ARE THE LEADING PERSONAL INJURY BOUTIQUES AND ARBITRATION CHAMBERS? Complete the survey online at canadianlawyermag.com/surveys and make your picks. VOTING IS OPEN UNTIL FEBRUARY 21 ST Untitled-3 1 2017-01-10 1:42 PM

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