Lexpert magazine features articles and columns on developments in legal practice management, deals and lawsuits of interest in Canada, the law and business issues of interest to legal professionals and businesses that purchase legal services.
Issue link: https://digital.carswellmedia.com/i/1181164
28 LEXPERT MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2019 ments, compliance and governance. Recognized as a "2012 Canadian Diversity Champion" by Women of Influence Magazine. Received "Managing Partner Contri- bution to Corporate Social Responsi- bility" 2011 Lexpert®-Zenith Award. Selected by peers for inclusion in the 2020 edition (and since 2014) of e Best Lawyers in Canada® (Corporate Law). Recognized in the 2019 edition (and since 2013) of e Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing ). Listed in first issue of Lexpert®/Ameri- can Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, 2000-01. stage lasted for a year. In August 2019, Weir took a leave of absence from BLG to run for Parliament. As mentioned, this was not Weir's first political experience. He had been elected to both Oakville's municipal council and public utilities commission. And he had chosen a political party that suited his ideas on governance. Would he recommend anyone else try running federally? "You have to have an avid interest," Weir said. "A lot goes into it. You meet a lot of people from all walks of life, and learn how political parties work." Moving more broadly to advice to younger lawyers who may be experiencing unahappiness or dissatisfaction with their practice, Weir offers this: "Some of the unhappiness is the pres- sure of sacrifice, the effort that it takes. Is it worth the sacrifice of personal time? Speaking to more junior partners, I would say, this is a marathon not a sprint. Look aer your personal life. Make sure you're investing in relationships. Take care of your physical health." Admitting to a time when he had got out of shape and re-aligned that aspect of his life, Weir's advice is both practical and profound: "Get enough sleep. Eat properly. ese things give you energy. Find something that you like to do that is outside the firm. If you work 24/7 at the firm, you go home exhausted. Get involved in a charity or organization that means something to you." Weir worried aloud that he didn't spend enough time on my family. "My wife made it all work," he said. Weir retires from the firm as of Decem- ber 2019. is will not be the last we hear from him. Far from it. Keynotes of Sean Weir's law practice and related awards: National Managing Partner and CEO, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Advised corporations and boards of directors on governance, corporate reorganizations, acquisitions and divestitures. Advised pension funds on invest- Weir, it was important to figure out "when are you going to initiate change?" Just as im- portant was to understand when it was best to leave individual and regional practices (in many senses of the word) alone. Discern- ing the difference between the two meant "guiding us toward a unified platform in the firm without upsetting the apple cart." One of the partners told Weir, "you make us feel safe". en, somewhere around the end of 2011 the firm under Weir's leadership entered another significant era. Weir explained, "it was slowly coalescing...that we should run everything as a national firm." e firm retained consultants on strategic plan- ning during 2012-2013. Weir said many strategic plans fails "because people do it and put it on the shelf. We built a plan as of Jan 1st, 2014, to be finished in 2018. Even though it was more internal than ex- ternal, he considers his part in this phase to be another key achievement. "We had a vision for the future of the firm," Weir ex- plained. And they built on it, with lots of expert professional help, including hiring law firm executives with serious global law firm experience. To bring the partners on board they took various measures, including holding discus- sion groups with facilitated exercises. Sev- eral lawyers, especially many who might be described as younger, spoke up. Other law- yers that might otherwise have dissented, listened and came to understand the appe- tite for change. Weir learned first-hand that to imple- ment significant strategic change is a "long haul". Why do it then? "You form a na- tional firm," he said, to "bring the best of the firm to clients everytime." A truly na- tional firm needs to compete with others in Canada and even internationally, at the same time it is providing the highest level of legal services. John Murphy became the new National Managing Partner in CEO in December 2017. Weir transitioned with him and then by July 2018 he was working on spe- cial projects and looking aer some signif- icant client relationships by the firm. at "Several lawyers, especially many who might be described as younger, spoke up. Other lawyers that might otherwise have dissented, listened and came to understand the appetite for change."