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CCCA_V7No2_Dept-Horizons-FIN_CCCA_V6No4 13-05-17 3:28 PM Page 11 Horizons Adding in-house lawyers has been seen Canada isn’t rushing to send its business and be a real leader in that regard,” says as a budget-cutting device but it doesn’t overseas, he says another more popular Headon. “And that’s as much for the stop there. The next step is looking at how option could be near-shoring some of the external counsel as the in-house folks.” they work — an area where the in-house legal function — “parking it in a cheaper The biggest challenge for corporate bar needs to pay more attention, he adds. business centre.” counsel in the next five years will likely For example, Headon says a trial can be Different salary and work arrangements be the increasingly difficult regulatory broken down into a number of specific in near-shore offices could provide environment in which they will have to tasks: document review, client interviews, lawyers with the kind of stable hours and operate, says Luftspring, who says he’s witness interviews, issuing subpoenas and work/life balance their counterparts in found it exciting to work on the steering so on. the big centres can only dream about. committee, but “none of us, and I mean “It’s not this monolithic thing, a trial, it One of the key goals of the CBA ini- none of us, know what’s going to happen is actually a number of different steps and tiative is to develop ideas and approaches two years from now.” along the way we could make better use of to help the profession and its institutions Success of the initiative will be meas- our assistants and paralegals and other pro- adapt to change — reconsidering and ured by the practical tools developed to fessionals who could focus on particular redefining, if necessary, the legal industry’s assist practitioners across the spectrum, parts of that… freeing up that lawyer’s day role in society, including clarifying the from small practice to large. to do other things that are more specifical- profession’s role as an advocate for the “Any time there is disruptive change, ly legal than compiling documents.” rule of law and as a protector of the jus- there are those that fall on the one side of it, Breaking down tasks into manageable tice system. but there are those who will be rewarded bits that can be farmed out to the appro- “That’s a governing principle of the admirably for being at the forefront of it.” priate service provider is one area where whole inquiry, is to say you can be pushed offshore firms are a step ahead, suggests along this path or you can come with us Kim Covert is a writer and editor in CBA’s Headon. While the in-house bar in and we’ll help you get ahead of the curve Communications Department. ÉTÉ 2013 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association 11