42 LEXPERT MAGAZINE
|
APRIL/MAY 2017
| BOUTIQUES & SPECIALTY FIRMS |
DEBORAH WEINSTEIN
Offices: Ottawa,
Toronto, Vancouver
Focus: Business Law
LASER BEAM
FOCUS ON TECH
LABARGE WEINSTEIN LLP
Deborah Weinstein is single-minded, you have to give her that. She co-founded her Ottawa-based bou-
tique 20 years ago with the idea of focusing on the nexus of business law and high-technology compa-
nies and, even though the market around her has changed, LaBarge Weinstein hasn't strayed, with 80
per cent of its business still coming from that one area. "When one looks at where technology was then
and where it is now, it's exploded," she says. ere have been at least three tech bubbles and busts, but
"large firms cannot compete with our sustained focus right down the food chain to the earliest stage
— and that really means the stage of the founders starting up."
e firm, however, offers much more than start-up support. With 25 lawyers, LaBarge Weinstein
provides knowledge-based companies, regardless of size, all the services they may need, from corporate
and securities to tax, licensing and IP. Weinstein says there are only two big firms she sees regularly as
potential competitors, "because they have a few partners that are focused on the technology industry.
at's key. e other law firms are focused on getting business clients. ey're not focused on market-
ing [to the tech industry]."
Not that they don't try. Her competitors tend to use a couple of different strategies, she says, either
spending a lot of money on branding and sponsorship at big industry-related events, or trying to dazzle
a company that is suddenly becoming more visible. "With huge marketing machines and a huge mar-
keting budget, they will throw hockey tickets at them, schmooze them, dine them, show them how
great a firm they are to try to win their business."
Although her firm is much smaller, its uses its lawyers to market in their hometowns and regions.
"My Edmonton-born lawyer goes to the Alberta tech stuff, my New Brunswick-born lawyer handles
the east coast, I've got a lawyer who handles Montréal, another Waterloo, three partners who tackle
Atlantic Canada and six or eight in Toronto. So we'll take clients from everywhere."
DONALD GOODFELLOW
Office: Calgary
Focus: Construction
BUILDING EXPERTISE,
NOT SIZE
W. DONALD GOODFELLOW
Whether it involves tendering, builders' liens or other construc-
tion-related activities, when Donald Goodfellow sits down on a
matter, there is almost always one or more large firms on the other
side. With just four lawyers, he believes it's essential that a tiny
boutique like his has people that possess a deep well of knowledge
and expertise in the one narrow area. "Many clients are now real-
izing that it is not the largeness of the firm that provides expertise
but the knowledge within the firm."
One of the particular challenges a small boutique faces, he says,
is "dealing with big firms that have sophisticated computers and
IT systems, etc." No matter how small the law firm, if you want
to play in the big leagues, Goodfellow says it is "essential" to have
the same IT, technology and expertise the large and mid-size law
firms have. His lawyers use soware for case management, prac-
tice management, matter management and process management,
and are currently "dealing with lawsuits where there are tens of
