Wyant says despite the fact capital spending has slowed virtually everywhere else, the purse strings are still loose in Saskatchewan. Perhaps the biggest buzz is centred around a development called River Landing in Saskatoon. When complete in several years’ time, it will include a hotel, a residential development, office space, and a new performing arts centre all along the South Saskatchewan River. “We’re going to create a people place. It has created lots of enthusiasm in the city. We’ve seen a lot of people moving to Saskatoon and property values have increased dramatically over the past 18 months. Our rental rates are being driven higher as well,” he says.

“Exciting things are happening for our province and exciting things are what lawyers like to do. We like to be involved in projects that are going to have a long-term impact on the province,” says Boyd.

Wyant says he realizes Saskatchewan can’t dodge global recessionary bullets forever. “There are always storm clouds when you talk about the economy. We’re not so blind as to think what’s happening to the rest of the world isn’t going to affect us but we’re still looking at growth in Saskatchewan in 2009 as people look to the province as a good place to invest, a safe harbour, and a good place to do business,” he says.

Wyant says McKercher doesn’t have any capacity issues in terms of its lawyer count, which currently sits at 65 in its Regina and Saskatoon offices. When opportunities to hire associates or partners with a particular expertise spring up, the firm looks at them “very seriously,” he says. “Nobody is starving in Saskatchewan if they’re a lawyer.”

With so much activity heating up in the province, a growing number of firms have spread their wings internationally to service their increasingly global clients who are based in the 306 area code. Grubb says law firms have had to follow the lead of these clients or risk losing them. That’s why Balfour Moss joined Meritas Law Firms Worldwide, an international association of business-focused law firms. “If I have a client in Saskatoon who has a need in South Africa, I can refer him to a lawyer there that we have confidence in. Meritas recruits specific types of firm[s] and there’s a quality insurance component that gives everybody within the group a comfort level,” he says. “It’s a competitive issue; it’s something you need to do to serve your clients.”

Wyant says McKercher recently developed a marketing initiative with two of its lawyers, both born in China, to pursue two-way legal opportunities. “There is lots of investment from China that wants to come to Saskatchewan. I have a client who has significant interests in China and having our two lawyers provides a great advantage. We can provide the experience on the ground in Saskatoon. For Chinese investors who want to come to Saskatchewan, we can provide that expertise, too,” he says.

More of that expertise is choosing to be based in the province, too. While Saskatchewan was a net exporter of legal talent, Grubb says the trend is changing. “We’re starting to recruit from outside the province and we’re starting to get more applications from lawyers looking to come back to Saskatchewan or move here for the first time,” he says.

Grubb says while Regina and Saskatoon are the obvious hubs for legal work, firms in other communities such as North Battleford, Prince Albert, and Lloydminster, are busier than ever and are having difficulty finding lawyers to handle the work. It’s a good problem to have, he notes, but a problem nonetheless.

Boyd says Kanuka Thuringer’s 33 lawyers in Regina and Swift Current continue to be busy in the oil and gas, and potash sectors. He says because the province’s population is growing, the slight decline in demand in certain sectors has been offset by the new arrivals to Saskatchewan.

About 25 of MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman’s 105 lawyers are located in Alberta, where Wilson says the firm’s focus on medium-sized businesses has allowed it to avoid being caught in the downturn hitting many of the province’s largest companies. “Our clients there tend to be less impacted by the severe drop in activity in the oil patch than some of the bigger firms. Our sweet spot isn’t those huge multinational companies,” he says.

Wyant says even though many opportunities lie outside the province’s borders, he says McKercher hasn’t lost sight of its lifeblood, the local economy. “There are still some tremendous opportunities to grow locally. Local businesses are growing and we certainly haven’t turned a blind eye to what’s happening in Saskatchewan. As Saskatchewan starts to be a significant player internationally, that’s changed how we practise law. We have many international clients now, 25 years ago, we didn’t,” he says.