Collin Hirschfeld at McKercher LLP on the Saskatchewan economy and advice to young lawyers

Canadian Lawyer recently spoke with Collin Hirschfeld, a partner and member of the executive committee at McKercher LLP, about his firm, the Saskatchewan economy and advice to young lawyers*. McKercher LLP was named one of the Top 10 Prairie Firms in 2021.

Hirschfeld is a judge at this year's Lexpert Rising Stars Awards, honouring leading lawyers under 40 from law firms, in-house departments, and other practices. Nominations are open until July 7; winners will be announced on November 23.

Tell me about your practice.

I have a general litigation practice. I do construction, medical defence, commercial litigation and arbitration, and some insolvency. When I first started at the firm, I was fortunate enough to, as we used to say, “carry the bags” for Bob McKercher. I learned a lot from Bob and got many connections through him, both medical defense and construction law work. He was a fellow of the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers, which I now am a fellow of as well.

What attracted you to construction law?

I grew up on a farm. I'm used to manual labour and seeing the fruits of your labour. You can see things being built in construction law, although sometimes they could be constructed better when you have litigation. You still have the abstract legal concepts, but it may be a little more concrete in terms of actual results.

I've also done some work on the solicitor side. We work for the University of Saskatchewan, and I helped do their documents. It's rewarding to see that come to fruition.

Tell me about how you ended up taking on a leadership role at the firm

I reached a point in my career where I felt it was time to give back to the firm more concretely. I've been on our executive committee for six years and have been the chair for one. Before that, I was on various other committees, such as the practice and compensation committees.

What are your most noteworthy internal initiatives at McKercher?

Our pro bono initiative. We were recently recognized as one of the five-star pro bono firms. We're proud of that accomplishment. Access to justice is a significant issue right now, and this is one way we can help address that. Nowadays, people, especially younger lawyers, want more out of their job than just a paycheque. The pro bono initiative makes people feel they're contributing meaningfully to the community.

Another area is Indigenous engagement. We've signed on with a charter with the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. Indigenous engagement and reconciliation are critical to our firm. We have a significant Indigenous law practice group, one of our most important growth areas.

Learn how do pro bono lawyers get paid in Canada in this guide.

What major economic trends are you seeing in your client work?

Saskatchewan has been an outlier in terms of economic performance. We've weathered the storm a lot better than other provinces. We are very resource-rich, but we manage our resources wisely.

Potash and Nutrien shares have taken a bit of a dive, but overall, the world will need to feed itself. The investment and faith that the international mining community has in the province are apparent since we are one of the top five best-ranked mining jurisdictions worldwide.

Hopefully, the federal and provincial governments will come to a compromise on what works for everyone in regulating greenhouse gases.

The construction industry is reasonably steady. COVID did have an impact with some insolvencies and project delays, but those ripple effects are waning now.

*Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Several of our lawyers are involved in the tech sector, which has seen an uptick. It's not just designing computer games or programming; there are applications in the agricultural and health sectors.

If you're looking for lawyers especializing in IT and computer, click here to see the list of top-ranked computer & IT lawyers in Canada.

What is your most noteworthy area of growth?

The entire renewable energy sector. That also cuts across multiple practice areas, not only the energy sector, but it also has a significant impact on the Indigenous practice. With the efforts towards reconciliation, there's a lot more involvement of First Nations communities in projects and learning relevant trades.

In the corporate commercial world, there's a lot of commercial real estate activity. Litigation is steady.

What do you expect for your firm in the next 12 months?

We have much expertise across many different areas, and I expect that to grow. We're always looking for new people. It's a very competitive job market. When I came out of law school, there weren’t many opportunities in Saskatoon. Now, it's very much an employee's job market.

What is McKercher doing in recruiting and attracting the best legal talent?

We always keep an open mind. We've got some people who recently came in who were legally trained in foreign jurisdictions who are phenomenal.

We're continually reviewing compensation strategies. But it's sometimes about more than just the paycheque. People look more holistically, so we recently revamped standard things like our health and dental benefits packages.

We have a formal mentorship program for our associate lawyers, but we also encourage an open-door policy. The McKercher culture is recognized in the legal community for being different from a sweatshop; we’ve always approached things a little bit more from a work-life balance perspective.

We are focusing on managing the mental health aspect as well. I do a weekly newsletter, and I often talk about some of the things that I've happened in my life, the struggles.

We also have team building and retreats throughout the year, and we encourage people to spend time with their families.

What is your advice to young lawyers on succeeding in a competitive legal landscape?

Being comfortable with technology is essential, and many young people are, but at the same time, remember that there's always a human being on the other side of the file. Don't just rely on email or texts. Pick up the phone or have that conversation with the other side.

Get out to network, and get to know people because when you're younger, that is when you build those connections in your career.

I'd also encourage young lawyers today to balance work and life. I think it's important to unplug, get out there, and enjoy life and the world around you.

Finally, younger lawyers should know it doesn't matter where you come from. I grew up on a farm. My parents did not have much education, but they encouraged me. They instilled the value of hard work, helping your fellow person, and not asking for anything in return. People shouldn't be ashamed of where they come from or concerned about it.

Try to be as courteous and cooperative with your opposing counsel as possible, which doesn't mean you must agree on the legal position. Clients are much better served when counsel collaborate and cooperate on the process.

What has stood out to you before when judging the Lexpert Rising Stars?

I look at the resumes and people’s experiences and wonder how I got to be where I am. The breadth and diversity of the work, time, and energy that these people have spent on so many different initiatives are unbelievable. I know the future of the legal profession is in good hands.

*Answers have been edited for length and clarity.