From the Board: 2023 in Review

In the From the Board series, Boughton’s board of directors provide their thoughts on the firm, as well as the business of law and the legal industry in general.

This year has been another exceptional year for our firm, not just in terms of client work, but also firm evolution, as well as exciting milestones in the lives of our team.

From marriages and new children—and grandchildren—to new firm leadership and industry awards, 2023 has been nothing short of remarkable. So, as we come to the end of 2023, we decided to take a look back at the year that was for Boughton, and reminisce about highlights, interesting trends, the sting of loss, and what 2024 might hold.

Awards & Recognitions in 2023

This year was particularly exciting for Boughton, as the firm—and its lawyers—received multiple awards, including awards outside the legal industry.

Some key awards were:

• 2024 Chambers Canada Guide – Firm (Sept 2023)
• Best Lawyers in Canada 2024 Guide – Multiple Lawyers (Aug 2023)
• YWCA Women of Distinction – Jean Yeun (May 2023)
• Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers – Firm (Apr 2023)
• 2023 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory – Multiple Lawyers (Mar 2023)

Growing Families

There were several weddings this year across the Boughton team. We had asked to post the names and photos from all of them, but HR informed us that was asking a bit too much for an annual recap… That was also the response when we requested to post photos of all the new children and grandchildren.

Regardless, we’re excited for everyone who welcomed new additions this year and wish them the best of luck through that first holiday season.

Deals & Client Matters

In 2023, our team worked on a myriad of interesting and notable client matters across all practice areas. Many of these matters are continuing into 2024, but several closed this calendar year, and a few highlights are:

• Boughton Law jointly represents 5 indigenous communities on acquiring a 42% interest in the Access NGL Pipeline System (July 2023)
• Boughton Law acts as Canadian Counsel in Founders acquisition of Antino Gold Project (June 2023)
• Boughton Law acts as Canadian Counsel to Thesis Gold in Merger (June 2023)
• Boughton Law acts as counsel in San Cristobal Mining Acquisition (Feb 2023)
• Boughton Law presenting at the Supreme Court of Canada in the Dickson Matter (Feb 2023)

Do Lawyers Dream of Electric Sheep?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic across multiple industries over the last 12-months. As such, it’s no surprise that it continues to be on lawyer’s minds as well. What AI could mean for billing models? How it can be safely leveraged as a client value-add? What are AI best-practices? These questions continue to be discussed across the industry, as well as among our Meritas^® peers.

Fortunately, our team is very interested in this new technology, and we have a few pilot projects launching in the new year aimed at answering some of those questions. Keep an eye on our Resource page for more info on their progression.

International Reach

As a member of the Meritas^® legal network, we offer our clients access to a global alliance of independent, full-service law firms with more than 7,000 lawyers in over 90 countries worldwide. It also gives us access the leadership teams of these firms, to discuss firm management, brainstorm lawyer development and gather perspective on how other firms are tackling the business of law.

This year saw Meritas members come together for 4 different meetings, across 2 continents and 4 countries. Below are the recaps from each meeting:

• Meritas^® – 2023 Firm Management Forum & Board of Directors meeting recap
• Meritas^® – 2023 U.S. Regional & Litigation and Labor & Employment Group Meeting Recap (Oct 2023)
• Meritas^® – 2023 Canadian Regional Meeting Recap (Sept 2023)
• Meritas^® – 2023 Annual General Meeting Recap (Mary 2023)

Saying Goodbye

Despite 2023 being remarkable in many ways, as is so often the case in life, it’s also had its share of sadness. This year we said goodbye to long-time Boughton lawyer Heather Craig. Heather was a brilliant litigator, as well as a passionate mentor to students and young lawyers. She will be missed.

Looking Forward

Despite potentially cloudy skies on the economic horizon, there’s still quite a bit to look forward to in 2024. Our new articling students—Harsh Kang and Chelsea Gladstone—have been with us since the fall and will continue with the firm into next year. This year’s summer students will be returning in late spring for their articling year, and we’ve just finalized offers to 2024 summer students.

Our full-service firm continues to bring in new talent—both lawyers and staff—to support our growing practices groups. And we have a few brand initiatives we’ll be unveiling in early 2024 to coincide with the firm’s 75^th anniversary.

So again, as we look back at 2023—and forward to 2024—it’s nothing short of remarkable.

Explore further insights and industry trends with Boughton Law. Reach out to our marketing team for more information.