Interview with…
Olivier Fournier, Canadian Legal Leader
What do you see as the main points that differentiate Deloitte Legal Canada LLP from your competitors?
Deloitte Legal Canada LLP is focused on highly specialized practices that rely on assistance from our affiliated professional services: Deloitte LLP. Our competitors, which are mainly traditional law firms, cannot seamlessly provide such services as:
Cybersecurity and Privacy Law, working hand-in-hand with Deloitte LLP’s technical cybersecurity andforensic investigations teams;
Tax Litigation, working hand-in-hand with Deloitte LLP’s transfer pricing economists, R&D scientists and engineers, as well as other highly specialized tax professionals;Labour and Employment Law, working hand-in-hand with Deloitte LLP’s Human Capital, Global Employer Services and Workplace Investigations teams.Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?
Labour and Employment LawPrivacy and Cybersecurity, Digital LawSpecialty Regulatory Law practicesWhat's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients?
Along with Deloitte LLP, we offer a one-stop, turnkey service that seamlessly integrates a response to all of our client’s needs. This minimizes the headaches of dealing with multiple firms and offers uniform quality and a coordinated approach to our clients.Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?
Technology will never supplant the power of human interaction. Our clients appreciate speaking to a human who listens and is accountable.However, technology has become the market standard in service delivery: from AI-assisted research tools to automation of non-creative tasks such as due diligence.Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?
Cybersecurity: we not only bring value by assisting with incident response and crisis management, but we also help our clients minimize the risk of further breaches and provide breach-coaching advice in order to be prepared for future incidents.Tax Controversy and Litigation: we take a client-first approach to favourable and early resolution of tax disputes.Employment and Labour Law: We regularly advise clients with respect to their right and obligations in relation to the future of work, both during and post-pandemic. This is not limited to legal advice: along with Deloitte LLP’s Human Capital group, we provide a global approach to the future of HR management and help clients be prepared for their next normal.Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time?
In our experience, clients are looking to simplify their relationships with professional firms generally and prefer a coordinated approach to the services they seek. Deloitte Legal Canada LLP’s unique position as an affiliated law firm within Deloitte sets it apart from traditional law firms: Deloitte’s broad base of services coordinates with the entire C-suite; not only GCs or CLOs. Accordingly, our legal services are delivered as part of a holistic set of solutions sought by our clients.