Law Times

Law times • OctOber 15, 2012 NEWS Is being a rainmaker crucial to moving up? Paths to partnership BY GLENN KAUTH Law Times ner at your law fi rm? Anil Aggarwal thinks so. A D o you really have to be a big rainmaker in order to have a good shot at making part- partner at Fasken Martineau Du- Moulin LLP, he believes being a business generator has become even more crucial for those aim- ing to move up. "Th at' tunate reality of the world we live in now, erally no longer enough to put in the time" and assume partnership is on the horizon. Aggarwal made the remarks s the unfor- " he said, adding it's "gen- like that, he said, are particularly useful given clients' growing ex- pectations that lawyers will be proactive about helping them solve problems. Bennett Jones LLP partner Ranjan Agarwal echoed many panellists' comments about the need for lawyers to learn about their clients. Noting that doing so involves "not a lot of docketed billable work," he emphasized the importance of embracing the practice fully. One of his strate- gies, then, is to visit clients at their places of business. While it' billable work, "it pays dividends in the long run," he said. Many lawyers on the panel s non- at a recent event organized by the South Asian Bar Association and the Federation of Asian Ca- nadian Lawyers at Norton Rose Canada LLP' strategies for success in private practice. Other speakers on the panel, s Toronto offi ce on however, had diff erent perspec- tives on the importance of busi- ness generation. "Not all paths to partnership are necessarily going out there and being the big rainmaker, a partner at Heenan Blaikie LLP who practises securities law. Yung recounted her own " said Sonia Yung, story about how she moved up in the ranks in the 1990s. Aſt er starting out at two major law fi rms in Ottawa before a spell of unemployment, she moved to Toronto to work at Aird & Ber- lis LLP. According to Yung, the fi rm at that time had a policy of making everyone a partner aſt er three years. She then went on to build her own book of business by, she said, focusing on good service that would retain clients and generate referrals. "I suck at golf. I hate cocktail also mentioned mentoring as being key to success. When asked about the qualities he looks for in an associate he' consider mentoring, Agarwal mentioned a "capacity to work hard" and turning out "excellent work product for your level. d he said, adding he also appreci- ates junior lawyers who will take responsibility for their mistakes. Aggarwal, meanwhile, said "You have to be personable," " that when he considers applica- tions for partnership, he asks whether the person is ready to be an owner. A willingness to go beyond billable work in order to learn about clients' businesses can help demonstrate that some- one is ready for ownership, said Agarwal. While the panellists off ered their thoughts on how to suc- ceed in the legal profession, many emphasized the need for With more than 179,000 page views a month and 31,000 unique visitors canadianlawlist.com captures your market The canadianlawlist.com features: — A fresh new look, designed for improved user experience — Effective new ways to reach the legal market — Gold and silver advertising packages For more information contact: Colleen Austin at 416-649-9327 or toll free at 1-800-387-5351 colleen.austin@thomsonreuters.com each individual to fi nd the right path. "Th ere' I would say, in terms of the path to partnership, For his part, Agarwal touted the idea of using social media to s no magic formula, " said Aggarwal. build a lawyer's personal brand as one useful strategy. "Frankly, a lot of older lawyers aren't taking advantage of it," he said. Still, he also pointed out the lawyers need for Reach one of the to consider legal and business markets in largest whether becoming a law fi rm partner really is right for them. "Don't get so focused on being partner if ultimately that' going to make you happy," he LT s not said. Canada! PAGE 3 CLL Online ad - 1/4 pg - 3X.indd 1 10/11/12 9:36 AM parties," said Yung, who noted she instead goes to public com- panies' board meetings without billing for the time in order to learn about the business and gets to know her clients on a personal level. Other panel members de- scribed how they became part- ners success. Aggarwal, for example, lucked out early on in his career when a small client he had been dealing with saw its business grow quite rapidly to the point where it went public. "I sort of grew with the client," he told the audience of mainly young law- yers at the early stages of their careers. "Th ere' and their strategies for of luck." For McCarthy Tétrault LLP s always some element partner Chia-yi Chua, an early stint with the Crown helped propel his career in tax litiga- tion. He focuses on off ering ad- ditional services to clients, such as a privilege protocol for tax issues as the Canada Revenue Agency becomes more aggres- sive in its approaches. Services ACCESS THE LATEST IN CASE LAW INTERPRETING CANADA'S PREVALENT BUSINESS LIABILITY POLICY ANNOTATED COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY POLICY MARCUS B. SNOWDEN AND MARK G. LICHTY Get practical and complete analysis of the IBC Form 2100 CGL "occurrence" policy, on a clause-by-clause basis. Each section includes a historical overview, scholarly commentary, analysis and the most up-to-date case law from both the insurer's and the policyholder's perspectives. Within this easy to read resource, you'll find commentary and analysis on leading American, Australian and New Zealand cases. Annotated Commercial General Liability Policy has been updated to reference the most recent IBL CGL wording; it also notes cases that consider manuscript wordings. ORDER # 804240 $302 2 volume looseleaf-supplemented service Anticipated upkeep cost – $205 per supplement Supplements invoiced separately 1-3 supplements per year 978-0-88804-240-X The text references judicial consideration of coverage issues in all Canadian provinces inclusive of Quebec — no other resource updates the jurisprudence and covers this scope of case law so thoroughly each year. AVAILABLE RISK-FREE FOR 30 DAYS Order online at www.carswell.com Call Toll-Free: 1-800-387-5164 In Toronto: 416-609-3800 Shipping and handling are extra. Price subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes. CANADA LAW BOOK® www.lawtimesnews.com Online Print and in

• Cover