TLOMA Today

I sat down to write this message on a day that is frequently referred to as “Blue Monday”.  The third Monday in January and what is supposed to be the “most depressing day of the year”. 

When I woke up on this Monday morning, I watched the weather and some news as I got ready for work.  There was an expert on the morning show who was talking about “Blue Monday”.  The expert said the reason this Monday is known as “Blue Monday” is because it is the third week in January, the rush of the holiday season is now officially over, the bills are likely starting to come in from all that pre and post holiday shopping that was done, it’s the middle of winter with the days being long, cold and dark and most people have already given up on whatever their New Year’s Resolutions were.  After the expert finished talking, the news update came on.  Everything being reported on was dismal.  I thought to myself: no wonder people are feeling “blue” these days.  It seems that a lot of what comes at us these days, from the news/ media outlets, is generally not good news. 

Remember the book “The Secret”?  A self-help book (based on an earlier film of the same name) with the premise being the law of attraction - that thoughts can change a person’s life directly.  I do believe that internal thoughts really do play a role in your everyday life.  Now, when I say this, I do not mean, for example, that because I would like to win the lottery, I can think this and make it so, just based on my thoughts.  What I think is that if I harvest positive thoughts and feelings and tune out not so positive ones, this will that help me feel more positive and productive in my daily life and routine.  And if I feel positive and productive then I will likely BE more positive and productive! 

So, on this Blue Monday, I am going to tune out the pessimism surrounding this day and focus my thoughts and energies on being positive and moving forward in an optimistic and constructive way.  And this positivity is what I am going to bring to the Board table mid-February, when we gather for our Corporate Handover meeting.  This is the official meeting where we say goodbye to the exiting board members and welcome the new members joining us.  I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to each of the following members for their time and service on the Board:

• Michelle Medel, Past President
• Kylie Aramini, Communications Coordinator
• Jenny Telesford, Conference Committee Chair

And I would like to give a warm welcome to our incoming members:

• Bernice Durdin, incoming Vice President
• Mary DaRosa, incoming Communications Coordinator
• Katie Donaldson, incoming Conference Committee Chair

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Pamela Harris for her leadership this past year as TLOMA President.  I will continue to look to Pamela for her ongoing guidance as she moves into the Past President’s seat and I step into her shoes.  I look forward to continuing to work with Leah Halpenny (Treasurer) and Joanne Gibson-Davis (Education Coordinator) and of course, our dedicated TLOMA staff, Karen Gerhardt and Liz Barrington (with Rose Yanco on parental leave).

I am also excited to share that TLOMA is reviving the role of Volunteer Coordinator!  The Volunteer Coordinator will be responsible for recruiting volunteers and establishing a database to assist the Association in taking advantage of the vast knowledge and experience of its members. Louise McNeely, who was the previous Volunteer Coordinator from 2012-2016, has graciously volunteered to take this position on once again.  We are very pleased to welcome Louise back into this role!

Upcoming Events

• TLOMA Facilities SIG - Policy at Your Firm: Strategies to Successfully Manage Electronic and Physical Records on February 7, 2020. 
• Spring Networking Event - Drive Away the Winter Blues! - March 26, 2020.
• TLOMA Professional Development Event - Advanced Communication and Presentation Skills on April 2, 2020. 
  
• TLOMA’s 2020 Compensation Surveys Launch Session on April 8, 2020

Please be sure to save the date and register for these events!

I will sign off on my first (not quite yet) President’s Message with this: everyday look for something positive, even if some days you need to look a little harder than others because I truly believe that positive attitudes lead to positive results! 

The Law Office Management Association (TLOMA) and Normandin Beaudry, our new survey supplier, are pleased to officially invite you to participate in the 2020 edition of our compensation surveys.

This year, we are conducting the Business Services Compensation Survey and the Associate Compensation Survey.

Inspired by participant feedback, the main objective of the 2020 edition is to offer a seamless participant experience, while providing high quality and market data. In addition, we’re excited to introduce the following features:

• User-friendly questionnaires, including all the relevant information required for the participation
• Improved job level descriptions to simplify the job matching process
• Optimized report layouts
• Online secure platform from which you will be able to retrieve all the necessary documents to complete the survey and download the survey results

For more information about the surveys or to confirm your participation, please contact Normandin Beaudry at tloma@nbac.ca. You may also refer to the TLOMA 2020 Compensation Surveys Pricing Structure for more information. 

Finally, we would like to invite you to join us at the survey launch session on April 8, 2020 at noon at the following location:

Blaney McMurtry LLP
2 Queen Street East, Suite 1500
Toronto, ON

Normandin Beaudry will present the major survey changes and provide tips on how to complete the surveys efficiently.

We look forward to your participation! 

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. — John F. Kennedy

If you think the legal services industry has evolved radically in the past decade, get a grip. The next decade will be turbocharged with change. The law market is getting tighter, tougher and more fractured as competition in various forms continues to enter the field. For lawyers, times to come are apt to be turbulent, confusing and distressing. The key to survival: Be flexible.

While 2019 was a good financial year for many legal services providers — traditional law firms in particular — smart firms are embracing change, whether in their individual markets and practices or the economy as a whole. But, before change can be managed and accepted, you must reach consensus on where you are now. That's the focus of Part 1 of this article.

Four “First Principles” of Law Market Change

In engineering parlance, change is based on “first principles.” For this discussion, I propose the following four:

1.  Clients Call the Shots
2.  More Major Leagues
3.  Structural Shifts
4.  Advancing Technology

Agreement on first principles allows you to move forward with the work of managing change, which we’ll cover in Part 2.

Principle 1: Clients Call the Shots 

Regardless of how you as a lawyer function within your practice, your clients call the shots. This is a 180-degree turn from when clients who asked a “learned lawyer” for advice were provided with an over-thought and sometimes over-wrought response, usually conveyed in legalese with a convoluted invoice to match.

Today’s clients want clear answers and transparent invoices quickly. In B2B situations, in-house counsel must answer to and appease CEOs and CFOs who, by virtue of controlling the money, are apt to be decision-makers or influencers on who does their company’s legal work. Many in-house teams are bulking up and cutting back on their outside spend to control costs.

Clients, from individuals to the corporate crowd, now have the ability to spread around their work to a range of service providers. Those include professional services firms (the Big Four), traditional law firms of all sizes, law companies, legal tech enablers, and even online self-service providers and chatbots.

Typical clients are becoming younger. Decision-makers are in their mid-40s to mid-60s, operating in a 24-hour global economy backed by a flexible, diverse workforce. This results in clients and customers who want what they want, who they want, when they want, delivered as they want, and at a cost they want.

Principle 2: More Major Leagues 

New players have come on the scene in the past 10 years and even more will flood the legal industry in the decade to come. In addition to new players, the leagues they play in have changed drastically and will continue to do so. Among the current configuration of major leagues are those that will continue to affect all others:

• The Big Four
• Global Law
• Big Law
• Law Companies

Big Four. If as a smaller firm you think the Big Four won’t affect you, think again. The Big Four have massive infrastructures, enormous war chests and humongous appetites. Expect them to take bites out of global law firms, which will take bites out of national law firms, which will take bites out of regional law firms, and so on.

I witnessed this firsthand as marketing counsel to Donahue LLP, which operated from 1997 to 2003 within EY as Canada’s first and so far only Big Four multidisciplinary (MDP) business law firm. As a pioneer working within the MDP model, I can tell you that it works and clients love it. Twenty years ago, it was ahead of its time and a regulatory nightmare, but now Big Four MDPs are coming into their own in the global marketplace and will be voracious competitors throughout the next decade.

Each offers a range of professional services that can include finance, legal and consulting. This one-stop-shop platform makes working with them easy. They also usually have a relationship with a client company’s CFO and CEO, which means they have an advantage when decisions are made about hiring outside legal counsel.

And they’re bulking up. As of this year, Deloitte has 2,400 “legal people” located in more than 80 countries; KPMG has ambitions to have 3,000 lawyers working in its global legal services unit within the next few years; PwC’s lawyer headcount stands at over 3,500 working in 90 countries and providing immigration legal services in 116 countries; and, EY has 3,500 law professionals offering legal operations consulting, managed services, and technology in addition to legal advisory services where permitted within the 80-plus jurisdictions.

Chris Price, CEO of EY Riverview Law, said last May, “We’re spending $2 billion on client-based technology in the next 18 months. That’s kind of difficult to compete against.”

Global Law. Some of the world’s international law firms are preparing for greater global competition by focusing on retaining top talent, creating stronger teams, investing in better tools and scaling up in terms of size. One of these firms, Dentons, has been on a growth tear. According to Dentons’ thinking, “The U.S. is the largest legal market in the world, yet U.S. law firms are disproportionately small relative to the size of the market.”

In response, Dentons created a plan for the U.S. market called “Golden Spike,” in honour of a railroad spike that completed the first transcontinental railroad 150 years ago. The first step in the plan, a merger with Bingham Greenebaum and Cohen & Grigsby, was announced last October. When complete in 2020, the combination will add 33 U.S. offices with coverage in nine of the 10 largest markets and 14 of the top 20. Dentons is projected to swell to more than 10,000 lawyers in 181 locations and 73 countries.

Big Law. Appetites of firms like Dentons are spurring mergers among firms that have a national presence but not necessarily a global footprint.

This is happening now in the U.S. Among the most recent firms to announce their merger are Atlanta-based Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton, headquartered in Philadelphia. When the merger is completed in April, Troutman Pepper will have 1,100 attorneys in 23 offices. Plans are also in the works to combine Faegre Baker Daniels, based in Minneapolis, and Philadelphia-based Drinker Biddle & Reath.

When this merger is final in February, Faegre Drinker will have more than 1,300 attorneys and consultants in 22 offices across the U.S. and in China and the U.K. If both mergers are successful, there will be two new entrants to American Lawyer’s list of 50 top law firms. Observers expect these mergers to continue.

Law Companies. In the next decade, law companies, widely referred to as alternative legal service providers (ALSPs), such as Axiom and UnitedLex, will be relieved of that also-ran moniker. The law company market is evolving with such speed that clients consider all forms of legal service providers, from traditional to new, as easy alternatives to each other. Clients who have tended to hire traditional law firms are using law companies more than ever and are projected to continue doing so.

A study, "Alternative Legal Brand Index and Market Trends 2019," which was done with the University of Oxford, Georgetown Law School, Acritas, and the SAID Business school, found that:

• 55 per cent more businesses are using ALSPs than in 2014.
• Average spending with ALSPs has risen by 10 per cent over the last five.
• ALSPs capture more market share — their share of legal spend jumps by 80 per cent.
• About 52 per cent of corporate Canada either already uses alternative providers for litigation support or will do so within the next five years.
  

The findings, based on surveys of U.S., Canadian and U.K. corporations, found that revenue for ALSPs is growing rapidly and their use in litigation support, research, e-discovery and document review has already surpassed projections for 2021.

Principle 3: Structural Shifts 

Structural shifting is a factor that, along with law firm mergers and failures, is changing the complexion of the legal marketplace and enabling clients to have more choice in who does their work and how it gets done.

• In the next decade, expect that more law firms in North America will be owned and run by people who are not lawyers, including those where the CEO is a business-driven, people-responsive leader, but not a lawyer. Regulators in Australia and the U.K. have begun to relax restrictions on who can deliver legal services, while a few states in the U.S. and jurisdictions in Canada have been pushing for regulatory change.
  
  
• The pyramid structure of traditional law firms will continue to erode. Lawyers who previously may have waited for an invitation to join the partnership ranks are leaving to pursue careers that may or may not involve the practice of law. Some are deploying their legal knowledge and experience to forge new legal services delivery systems and products.
  
  

• Clients are more self-serving than ever. As a result, many legal services are starting to be productized and will be more commoditized— for example, obtaining and reviewing nondisclosure agreements. Specialists will still be needed for the truly complex, bet-the-farm undertakings, but their services and delivery methods will be entirely customized and very expensive.

Principle 4: Advancing Technology

Technology is providing new, better, faster tools that help legal services get to market with more reliability, consistency and greater speed. Advancements in technology can be expected to create stresses and job losses, but will also enable new opportunities. Mostly, tech and its tools will be a client expectation.

In the end, it all boils down to change management strategies with supporting tactics that enable growth.

While you’ll never be able to create a stress-free environment, you can commit to addressing issues early on, rather than letting them fester. This article focuses on how to recognize the signs of chronic stress, burnout and flagging mental health. 

When does stress become too much?

Not that long ago, in 1936, an endocrinologist named Hans Selye discovered general adaptation syndrome, introduced the term stress into our common language, wrote 33 books and became known as the father of stress. His general adaptation syndrome simply recognizes that our bodies respond to the demands placed on us. This means that stress—and too much stress—is subjective and depends on how many resources we have available to handle the demands. Stress becomes too much when we’re running on empty.

Symptoms of too much stress

Like Hans discovered, stress is a reaction and not everyone experiences stress in the same way.

Physical symptoms[i] include:

• Pain and tension in the body
• Digestive issues
• Reproductive issues
• Changes to heart rate and blood pressure.
  
  

Mental and emotional symptoms[ii] include:

• Turning towards substances to handle stress
• Feeling depressed, anxious and overwhelmed
• Having trouble sleeping (too much or too little)
• Having difficulty focusing and remembering things.
  
  

What is burnout?

Burnout is “characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism and ineffectiveness in the workplace, and by chronic negative responses to stressful workplace conditions.”[iii] It’s a mental health issue that’s increasing in the workplace so the earlier you can recognize the symptoms, the better. In many cases, people prone to burnout expect a lot of themselves, are in jobs that aren’t quite the right fit, feel unappreciated and inadequate and have the impression their work is never good enough.

Symptoms of burnout

If a colleague is experiencing burnout, it’s possible that you’ll recognize the symptoms far before they do.

Burnout symptoms include:

• Spending more time working but accomplishing less
• Making more mistakes
• Feeling tired, frustrated, suspicious and irritable more often
• Feeling less motivated.
  
  

Burnout can lead to depression, increased risk of accidents, increased absenteeism and decreased productivity and morale. Recovery often takes months and involves making positive changes including having and enforcing boundaries, saying no to unreasonable requests and saying yes to self-care.

Signs of flagging mental health

Mental health covers psychological and emotional well-being and isn’t just the absence of illness. A mentally healthy person is resilient and able to handle ups and downs but unless you’re a mental health professional, it’s difficult to know the status of someone else’s mental health.

Mental health warning signs[iv] include:

• Social withdrawal
• Unexplained physical problems
• Dramatic behaviour changes
• Signs of stress (listed above)
• Feelings of sadness, anger or irritability that don’t go away
• Thoughts of self-harm
• Being able to handle fewer of life’s demands.
  
  

If you or a team member is struggling, knowing what to look for and gently addressing it early is an excellent way to support positive mental health in the workplace.

Resource

Mental Health Warning Signs

See WebMD for their comprehensive list of mental health warning signs in adults, teens and children.

Your servers are coming to their end of life and they need to be replaced.  But, should you replace them outright or should you consider outsourcing the servers to a Cloud based Managed Service Provider?  The word Cloud is used to mean so many different things.  Some of the meanings appear below:

Private Cloud: Data stored on private servers managed by the firm or another provider.  Key here is that you can, if you want, go to the location containing the firm’s data and point out the servers and storage it is on. Private Cloud systems are typically customized for the firm to meet its application and end user needs.  They are also typically resident in Canada. Some Private Cloud providers rent the servers and equipment and then re-rent them to their customers whereas others own all of the Cloud based infrastructure outright, given them full control of service delivery.

Public Cloud: We think of these as services like Microsoft Office 365 in that it is a public service. In these cases, the service advertised is the service offered. Thus, you can purchase, among other things, Office licenses, email services, telephone services and so on through this platform.   Google has a similar platform.

Hybrid Cloud: This is a mix of having on premise and cloud based options in your infrastructure.  For example, your files may be stored on site but your backups are stored in the Cloud off site. Or you may have your files and applications in a Private Cloud but your email is at Microsoft under 365.

When Triella first built its Private Cloud environment in August 2012, it was nearly impossible to convince firms to adopt Private Cloud.  Now, 8 years later, the discussion of where to invest in technology at your office or to outsource it is frequently leading to outsourcing to Private Cloud.

In general, the sticker price of Public Cloud services makes them seem cheaper than hosting the same service in your own facilities.   However, when all of the fully burdened costs of Private Cloud vs. on premise infrastructure are considered, the cost ends up being the same over a 3 year period and more expensive with Public Cloud as time goes on.  But price is not the only factor to consider when thinking about the Cloud.

Some things that do not work well in Private Cloud environments include:

• Applications that rely on sending and receiving a lot of images, large files or continuous streaming of data.  For example, a program like Primafact will perform more poorly in a Private Cloud than it does when hosted on premise because the nature of the software is that images are being moved back and forth quickly from the servers to the end user.
  
  
• Low Bandwidth or unreliable Internet can be detrimental to Private Cloud usage because if the Internet goes down, then there is no service.  Of course, you can augment the Internet by going to a different location, using a mobile hotspot of some kind or having a second Internet service in case the first one goes down.  However, all of these are stopgaps and may not work well in a given environment.
  
  
• Some applications are not designed for Cloud usage and are therefore difficult or impossible to set up in a Cloud environment.
  
  

On the plus side Private Clouds offer:

• Delivering IT like a utility – it is the responsibility of the provider to ensure that there is sufficient security in the system and that the security is updated as needed to identify and prevent hacking.
  
  
• There is much more redundancy in the Private Cloud environment than in a typical on premise environment, largely because there is more money to spend on protecting the overall system and the Private Cloud system can have spare devices not in use which can be employed when needed.
  
  
• Ability to work from anywhere on any device, Mac, PC, Chromebook and tablets all with the same level of access.
  
  
• Fewer IT staff are needed to run and support the environment as the Private Cloud lends consistency across all users.
  
  
• No more worrying about operating system obsolescence.  This is all taken care of for you in the Private Cloud environment.
  
  
• Much less space taken at the firm for technology equipment.  For example, no air conditioner is needed and the equipment that needs to be on site is reduced to a firewall, switch and UPS.
  
  

When considering your next infrastructure upgrade, consider Private Cloud as an alternative to buying all new servers and infrastructure.  It converts a capital expense into an operating expense that is paid monthly which is generally advantageous from a tax perspective.

The diversity and inclusion (D&I) landscape is continuously evolving —many employers are starting to rethink their approach and its organizational impacts. The business benefits for diversity in the workplace have been proven repeatedly through research and experience, however some employers are still not be aware of the lasting benefits a diverse workforce can offer.

The Hays Global Skills Index shows that many companies are suffering from skills shortages. Creating a diverse workplace will help to address the skills gaps by expanding access to talent, improving staff performance and increasing business growth. Here are three reasons why companies should make rethinking their D&I approach a top new year’s resolution.

Fosters Innovation

Diversity is an important driver of innovation and increases market growth. It also allows employers to create new services, products and improve ways of delivering their offerings. Additionally, companies should recognize that varied experiences, outlooks, and backgrounds are vital to innovation. In order to push boundaries, staff should consider all possible angles and embrace diverse team opinions. Staying open to this will lead to far more sources of inspiration, new ideas and knowledge to draw from.

Propel Talent Attraction Efforts and Improve Retention

The Hays 2020 Salary Guide revealed that 75% of staff say working in a diverse and inclusive organisation is a priority for them. Also, over 25% of companies surveyed have a dedicated, full-time D&I staff member. Though, there is still much room to grow this news is promising. That said, a diverse and inclusive workforce is essential to attract top talent and retain high-potential staff. A diverse workforce also sends a strong message to future candidates demonstrating that the company values people from a variety of backgrounds. This is can be a key differentiator for attracting key talent and becoming an employer of choice.

When staff feel appreciated for their individuality and contributions, they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and fulfillment at their workplace. Remember that regardless of titles or seniority, welcoming all ideas and showing appreciation for everyone input will result in higher employee loyalty and retention.

Better Connect and Serve a Diverse Client Base

With the world of work continually changing, the face of today’s clients also continues to evolve. To effectively serve a wide client base, employers will need to have a diverse team. If this is not in place, it will mean that companies will have to work much harder to understand the needs of their audience.

To win in a diverse market, employers will need staff that have enough insight to be able to empathize with the people they are serving and their unique needs. The more employers can relate to their clients, the easier it will be to connect with them on a human level and understand their perspectives and experiences.

Cosgrove Associates’ experience shows that law firms in this size range have to be especially nimble and forward thinking in dealing with the challenges of today’s legal services environment. Little changes can have a bigger impact on smaller firms. Raise your profile to be able to compete with the larger firms for clients. Marketing yourself as being different from those firms is helpful.

Office management generally touches on most of these challenges.

Here are the top 10 challenges faced small and medium-sized law firms in our experience:

1.  Profitability: dealing with rising overhead and stalled billings,
2.  Downward pressure on fees from clients,
3.  Business generation in an increasingly competitive industry,
4.  Finding quality people,
5.  Compliance,
6.  Time management,
7.  Change management — software advances,
8.  Lack of long-term planning,
9.  Security, and
10. Keeping legal skills current.

1.  Overhead costs are rising and client demands evolving, and it’s important to react to those demands.

Law firms not focusing on these economic variances are often happy with billing what they did in previous years, and as a result, they reach a plateau that can be difficult to break through.  As expenses rise and revenues stay flat, law firm profits are squeezed and the partners have to act on that proactively. 

While it’s important to manage expenses, we don’t suggest you target overhead costs as a way to increase profit.  Firms need a good infrastructure — good supplies and people — to run effectively and often it's best to discover ways to earn more fees without necessarily cutting expenses.

That goes back to the basics of managing your client base: setting goals that are in excess of previous years’ goals, increasing the hourly rates annually to reflect the increase in experience and costs of living and, most importantly, trying to break through a profit plateau to increase income year over year. 

2. Firms also have to deal with the increased demands from clients. 

The economy is changing and we see that people are more conservative in their spending. They want more certainty in terms of the fees they’re being charged by lawyers.  Some clients want to pay fixed fees for the work.  Some are happy to see lawyers delegating less intensive work to clerks who bill at lower rates.

The delivery of legal services is a fast-paced, competitive environment and people expect quick responses from their lawyers and staff. Managing clients is important and lawyers often need to give them an estimate or a range of what a service is going to cost for budget purposes. This helps in avoiding bill shock and ensuring clients have the means to make payment.

Understanding the time it takes to collect and produce standard documents and navigate the legal process to the end of an active file is important. By being aware of the economics of your practice you’re able to give them more of a reasonable fee estimate.  Therefore, it’s wise to apply a budget to the cases that clients bring to you.

3. Bringing in new clients to grow the firm is essential. 

The traditional ways of bringing in new business, by networking and organic growth, are important, but as things move more towards an online presence and on social media, the firm needs to look at new ways to get their name out there and raise their profile.

4. Hiring quality people is essential to any successful firm. 

Make sure your hiring processes are strong. Sometimes you need to adapt to the marketplace to meet the requirements of new people coming in.  For example, many of the younger lawyers want more flexible hours and the ability to work remotely.

Most importantly, once you find someone, you have to make sure they stay for a long period of time. 

5. Compliance with all regulatory requirements is ever changing – from banking, to LSO to governments.

Just managing that can take time away from the practice of law. We suggest hiring consultants such as ourselves to help firms remain compliant.

There are many distractions that can take lawyers away from the practice of law, and it can be difficult to juggle everything and remain focused and efficient when there are so many demands on your time. 

6. Technological advances are happening constantly and lawyers can be slow adapters of this type of change because of their time spent on client service.

7. It can be difficult to take time out to learn new software, but it is important to integrate that into the work process to keep your technology and skills up to date and competitive for your client services.

8. Incorporate long-term planning into your goals. 

If you’re doing a budget, part of that process should include some long-term planning. By setting some goals for lawyers, and the firm as a whole, you’re more likely to meet them. Developing a long-term plan and bringing in some accountability to make sure you move towards those goals is effective and rewarding.

9. Security is another growing concern for law firms and it’s critical that lawyers ensure they are keeping their data safe. 

You must keep your client information secure and follow the rules for the protection of that data. It’s critical that all lawyers and staff in the firm are up to speed on how to compute safety in a world where there are ongoing cyber threats.

10. Keeping legal skills current and meeting all professional development requirements of the law society are essential considerations.

It’s helpful to incorporate those requirements into their daily schedules so lawyers aren’t scrambling to meet them at the end of the year deadline. Best practices would be to attain some of those required credits every month or so.

Cosgrove – Strengthening legal practice management.

© 2019 Cosgrove Associates Inc. All Rights Reserved

At TLOMA, we provide education, professional development, mentorship, and support to our Membership. Through these initiatives, TLOMA members are offered both a professional and social network of professionals working in law firms of all sizes. To encourage members to grow their network at TLOMA, we would like to profile TLOMA members in each issue of TLOMA Today to give readers a snapshot of who we are within the legal industry.

Name: Marsha Hempel

How long were you a member of TLOMA? Since 1998.

Where did you work? Torys, Gowlings and Borden Ladner Gervais LLP.

What did you enjoy most about working in the legal industry?The evolution of this industry over the past 30 years and the challenges that evolution presented.This made my work very interesting and rewarding.This industry also afforded me that rare opportunity to form many friendships with my colleagues at other firms through my involvement and membership with TLOMA.

Describe a career accomplishment that you are particularly proud of: I am very proud of my role as National Human Resources Director for Canada’s Law Firm, BLG, responsible for five offices, and my contribution to the success of our national talent initiatives and programs.

What is your favorite artist/band you got to see live in concert? Celine Dijon.

What is your favorite sports team? Toronto Blue Jays.

What are your favorite hobbies? Antique furniture refinishing.

Name one thing you can't live without? My Coton de Tulear dog, Stella!

If you could have a 60-minute conversation with anyone (fictional, famous, not famous, etc.) – who would you choose? Prime Minister Trudeau.

If you are interested in participating in the Member Spotlight feature of TLOMA Today to share some of your experiences at TLOMA, please email editor@tloma.com for more information.

Name of Organization / Company: Epiq Global, Canada

Organization / Company Overview

A) Expertise & Growth: Epiq Global, Canada helps transform your organization by driving impactful operational change and cost savings through our experienced people, resources and innovative technologies.

B) Service Overview: We service clients across private, public and social sectors to drive organizational and operational innovation. Our primary goal is to accelerate transformation for our clients through records management and information governance, front and back office operations, IT services, document-related workflows and administrative functions. Our proven track record, in Canada and globally, shows that Epiq Global, Canada optimizes people, processes and technology to help you focus on the more important things, like outperforming your competition. With Epiq Global, Canada, you have access to our deep expertise, our local solutions and our global presence – meaning no matter where you are, you have access to the Epiq Global, Canada difference.

How many years have you been a Business Partner of TLOMA? This is our first year!

What has been your partnership experience with TLOMA over the years? We have just started our partnership with TLOMA and we are excited to be presenting at the first TLOMA Facilities SIG of 2020.

Favorite TLOMA memory? Getting approval to become a business partner and attend this year’s conference. Looking forward to building relationships, sharing expertise amongst one another, and making more memories along the way!

Where was the last place you vacationed? New Zealand

What is your favorite lunch spot during the workweek? The Chase

What is your favorite movie? Ocean’s Eleven

What is your favorite sports team? Toronto Blue Jays

If you were able to start a blog, what would it be about? Travelling Canada