LEXPERT MAGAZINE
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SEPTEMBER 2016 7
fortuna favet fortibus
SEPTEMBER 2016
VOLUME 17 NO. 10
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jean Cumming
EDITOR
David Dias
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Gena Smith
ART DIRECTOR
Brianna Freitag
COVER PHOTO
Jaime Hogge
DIRECTOR/GROUP PUBLISHER,
CARSWELL MEDIA
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LEXPERT.CA
Jean Cumming
Editor-in-Chief
EDITORIAL
Drawn to Scale
IN THIS ISSUE, we include a feature on mid-size law firms. We received so many ex-
pressions of interest on this topic (which was noted on our editorial calendar) that we
are determined to do more coverage on this vertical in the future. But how shall we
determine what size is mid-size? Is that a firm of 50 lawyers in Canada within a global
firm of 1,500? Or is it a stand-alone firm in Canada of 75 that belongs to a legal alli-
ance? What about a boutique firm that has grown to 30 lawyers? Does it qualify? We
are very interested in exploring these questions.
It is even more important that firms be aware of their size identity — and not just
know the number, but be self-aware of its implications for organizational effectiveness.
If you are the boutique that grew, you need different communication strategies than
when the partners all fit into a restaurant booth to celebrate the firm's launch over
dinner. And if you do not think so, ask your administrative personnel and other
professionals. ey need to operate in an organization that is attuned to the many
messages being disparately communicated.
For firms operating within a legal alliance, one of the great frustrations for lawyers
is feeling there is no reciprocity in referrals. While some of that may be due to the
respective jurisdictions, another degree of the problem owes to lawyers not knowing
each other well enough to foster trust and reliance. Can the same be said within your
own firm? Or did it get to a size that we might label, "It's just not the same."
Growth can be an exciting opportunity, offering economies of scale. Lawyers in a
mid-size firm, regardless of how that is defined, are well-advised to be attuned also to
the human resources and organizational practices that best suit their size. As anyone
who has ever gained or lost weight can attest, it is never comfortable to wear clothes
from the previous size.
