It’s safe to say most budding lawyers these days have a similar outlook on the career that lies ahead of them. They will land an associate position at a large firm, and hopefully contribute to the bottom line well enough to one day join the partnership. It’s an enviable plan that has produced some of the country’s top lawyers. But it’s not for everyone, and especially not those who lead the firms listed in the latest round of Canadian Lawyer’s top boutiques.

In the second of our stories this year on the top boutique law firms in the country, Canadian Lawyer turns its attention to those specializing in labour and employment, environmental, and maritime law. While each of these firms has a different approach to standing out from the crowd to attract business, each group of firms face similar challenges and opportunities in their respective markets.

Canada’s litigation boutiques show that size certainly doesn’t factor in for clients in need of top-quality representation. While these firms may not offer the depth of legal talent the big firms boast, they rise to the top based on their reputations for successful advocacy in courts throughout the land. As several lawyers pointed out, at the end of the day clients are simply looking for the best legal minds for the work they need done. And if they reside at a firm without a Bay Street address, well, so be it.

 

Concentrated expertise and substantially fewer conflicts have helped boutique firms secure a permanent spot in Canada’s legal services landscape, with firms in the litigation and intellectual property fields enjoying particular success over the years.

 

More depth and a broader talent pool give larger-than-average specialty firms an advantage in this area of the law.

In our second annual feature on leading boutiques, we look at why these smaller, super-specialized firms are becoming so popular. We also find out which ones are leaders in their fields, and why.