Incoming CEO of McCarthy Tétrault Sunil Kapur says that these days, deals aren’t really done on the golf course.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
Legal Moves is a monthly roundup of job changes at Canada’s law firms.
When Sunil Kapur joined McCarthy Tétrault 24 years ago, knowing how to swing a golf club came with professional benefits.
Two decades later, corporate Canada is a different place, both demographically and with regard to priorities around work-life balance.
“You get clients saying, ‘Well, I don’t really play golf’ … or ‘I can’t spend five hours on a golf course and then two hours going for dinner and drinks. Can we meet for lunch or coffee?’ ” Mr. Kapur said.
These days, deals aren’t really done on the golf course, he said. They’re done in the boardroom and on Microsoft Teams. Understanding this evolution is essential to running a modern law firm, said Mr. Kapur, who was recently announced as the next chief executive officer of McCarthy Tétrault.
“We are a people business. We’re not a technology company,” he said. “When you look at what’s top of mind in terms of the management of a law firm your mind should turn to people.”
On that front, Mr. Kapur said a generational shift is under way among young lawyers, who want to work in a different way than their predecessors.
“We want to be the platform that hires, promotes and retains the best talent in the legal marketplace. You’ve got to find a way to retain talent that is often looking for a different balance,” he said. That doesn’t mean not working hard, it means more flexibility.
“Certainly that’s going to be part of my focus. The other thing that’s important to me, it’s part of my life story, is we have to ensure we continue to push our diversity and inclusion as one of our core values. It’s who I am. It’s who we are as a firm,” he said.
McCarthy Tétrault has a unique leadership structure compared with most Canadian law firms. About 20 years ago, the firm shifted to a more corporate model. Rather than putting everyday items to the entire partnership for a vote, an empowered leadership team – a board elected through the partnership – makes those calls. Candidates for the role of CEO put themselves forward and then the board selects one after a competition process. The board’s decision is then sent to the whole partnership for a ratification vote.
Mr. Kapur, an employment lawyer who was also the practice group leader of the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution group, won the board over with a vision that focused on people, clients and an ambitious plan for the first 100 days.
“It’s ensuring that we are focused on areas of growth for the economy and that we’re making the right investments,” he said, for example, with respect to generative AI and different areas of practice.
“The way the economy goes is the way that law firm businesses tend to go,” he said. Resources remain vital to the Canadian economy, so investing in the firm’s resource, energy and energy transition space is key. Real estate and infrastructure projects continue to be big areas, as are M&A – both private and public – high-end disputes, including tax disputes, technology and restructuring.
“Those are going to be generally the areas that I intend to focus on and that we’re going to start to build our strategy around,” he said.
Mr. Kapur, who – for the record – does actually like to golf, will take over Jan. 1, 2025, when departing CEO Dave Leonard completes his second term.
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In September, Aird & Berlis welcomed a number of new partners, including intellectual property, privacy and data protection lawyer Andrea Kroetch, and corporate lawyer John Munnis, who joined the firm’s financial services, capital markets and mergers and acquisitions groups.
This past summer, the firm also added Ryan Evans to the intellectual property and litigation and dispute resolution groups, litigator Scott Smith, who joins the Indigenous practice group as well as the energy, environmental law and infrastructure groups, Pavle Levkovic, who specializes in construction arbitration and litigation, and Bob Freedman, who works in the areas of Indigenous and environmental law.
At DLA Piper, Nafeesa Valli-Hasham joined as a partner in the capital markets practice based out of Vancouver. “Nafeesa’s results-oriented approach and exceptional insight guiding clients in a range of industries through key stages in their growth makes her an excellent addition to the firm,” Robert Seidel, Canada managing partner said in a release.
In other news, Gowling WLG announced that Bart Sarsh joined the firm as a partner in the firm’s corporate restructuring, insolvency and advisory group in Hamilton. Gowling also welcomed Patrick Laycock to the intellectual property group as a partner based out of Calgary.
At Torkin Manes, Jennifer Lynch came on board as a partner in the private client services group and Niklas Holmberg joined the litigation and dispute resolution group as a partner.
Also in September, Miller Thomson LLP announced that Yves Rocheleau joined the Montreal business law group as partner. “Yves brings high-level M&A and complex transaction experience to the table, making him a major asset to our clients as we strive to meet their strategic needs with effective service,” Jay Hoffman, the group’s chair said in a release.
Meanwhile, Cozen O’Connor announced it was significantly expanding its Vancouver office, by adding 13 attorneys and nine support staff. Among the new hires is Virgil Hlus, who will chair the Canadian-U.S. cross-border practice, Cam McTavish, who will chair the Canadian mergers and acquisitions group, and Chantal M. Cattermole, who will head up the firm’s wealth management and family office practice. Cozen’s Vancouver office has grown by three lawyers to 28 in less than three years.