Unlike some makeovers, the changes to our publication are not just skin deep. Yes, the redesign has given us a bold and brighter look, but a redesign is nothing if the content isn’t there to back it up.
One of the first priorities I had when I became editor of this magazine in August was to ensure the content of InHouse had cross-Canada appeal. After all, this is Canadian Lawyer, and it is important that while Toronto, Canada’s largest legal market, is represented, the emerging markets in Western Canada must also have prominence. We must have representation in Quebec, and a focus on Atlantic Canada.
Having grown up in Calgary and spent a number of years in British Columbia, I know that someone from Central Canada writing about the West just won’t do. So we have sought out writers from Western Canada, including our new staff writer Glenn Kauth who joins us from Edmonton.
I am very proud that in this edition we have a legal feature focusing on events in Vancouver with the run up to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We have a piece about independent power production in rural B.C., a profile of an internationally renowned lawyer who lived in Calgary as a youngster, and a law department management piece that focuses on lawyers from Calgary, Winnipeg, and Toronto.
Our new labour and employment columnists Henry Dinsdale and Jeffrey Goodman are from Toronto, while our real estate columnist Fredric Carsley is from Montreal.
In future issues we will feature writers from the East Coast and our new environmental law column written by Marc McAree.
If there is one thing we know at Canadian Lawyer, it’s the Internet’s influence on magazine production is something that should be embraced.
Each week we update our web site (www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse) with the latest goings-on of the legal world, and I would appreciate any story ideas, tips, or any announcements that you might have.
Our digital edition is a replica of the print version, but online we have live links, video, and other additions to enhance your reading experience. That includes links to case law and web sites that will help you do your job better.
That is what a business-to-business magazine is all about, helping you do your job better. This is a magazine about your chosen profession. It is important that it represents you and has the information you want and need.
That means if there is a story you would like to read about, an issue that has your law department buzzing, well we are only an e-mail or phone call away. And if you are reading this in our digital edition right now, all you would need to do is click my name and an e-mail link will pop up in front of you.
Yes indeed, just as Heraclitus said so many years ago, “the only constant is change,” but we all know change without substance is pointless. I hope together we can make this a substantive change.
I hope you enjoy the magazine, I know I enjoyed putting it together for you.
E-mail idea, comments, and questions to [email protected].
