When Stephen Sibold was named Bennett Jones LLP’s general counsel in July, he became only the third in-house general counsel in a Canadian law firm. That’s not much of a trend, but it’s nonetheless a sign of the growing appeal of GCs at a time when firms are putting more resources into risk management.

Feeling that you haven’t been as familiar with your clients as you could be? Not to worry – you’re about to get to know them a whole lot better.

The newest National Technology Roundtable focuses on smartphones — those ubiquitous devices that people either love for their versatility and connectedness or hate for their distraction and intrusiveness. Do you need one? What features should you look for? Are there security issues? How will smartphones evolve? Our expert panel tells all.

Introductory economics courses teach about the "Four Factors of Production"– land, labor, capital and management. "Land" refers to the physical plant and physical assets, "labor" refers to the efforts of those who produce products or deliver services, and "capital" is the money needed to buy physical assets and hire workers.

What can we do as a firm to encourage business development at all levels?

Planning is not an option if a firm wants to survive. Law is a business as well as a profession, and planning is the first responsibility of the business owners because it is the defining characteristic of the most successful companies.

At the best of times, experienced professional services marketers are tough to find and even tougher to recruit. There is only a small pool of qualified people in each Canadian market, so set out to attract and hire the best your budget can support.

U.S.-based lawyer-ranking website Avvo could soon be coming to Canada. Based on client feedback, Avvo not only helps consumers choose a lawyer, but can help lawyers generate clients and improve their online presence.

The Managing Partner Leadership Advisory Board (LAB) was asked about a scenario involving a chronic complainer. The question and answer were provided in this article developed by the LAB, an organization formed as a resource to provide pragmatic advice to assist new managing partners with their critical issues and help them succeed.

Perfect Storm (def.) A weather pattern involving the collision of a northeaster, a large high pressure system, and unusually cold air pushing down plus moisture and warm air pushing up from a hurricane to the south to create a 'once-in-a-lifetime' storm.