Stikeman Elliott Named Among 50 Best Employers in Canada

TORONTO , Jan. 4 /CNW/ - Stikeman Elliott LLP has been named as one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada for 2010 by the Report on Business, La Presse and Hewitt Associates, placing 12th in the country. The results were compiled from surveys of over 108,000 Canadian employees with input from leading human resources professionals.

"We are delighted to be recognized among the 50 Best Employers in Canada ," said Pierre A. Raymond, Stikeman Elliott's Chair. "Our people are the reason that we can provide our clients with exceptional service and compete so strongly in this changed economy. Accordingly, we have made a conscious effort to invest greatly in our team."

The survey measures factors such as the employee's desire to remain and advance in their workplace, how employees represent their employer to others and their desire to contribute to the overall success of the organization. Each organization's human resources response to the economic recession was also noteworthy, according to Hewitt Associates, the consulting firm which compiled the data.

"This is particularly exciting because the 50 Best Employers honour directly reflects the opinions of our people," said Raymond. "It validates our efforts to be at the forefront of employee engagement, training and retention and gives us a number of valuable ideas on how we can continue to enhance our workplace."

The firm's selection for the 50 Best Employers honour comes on the heels of being named, for the second year in a row, as a Top 100 Employer in Canada in a Maclean's magazine/MediaCorp. survey and as a Top 90 Employer in the Greater Toronto Area in a survey conducted by the Toronto Star.

Stikeman Elliott views its extensive training programs, a progressive workplace environment and benefits and a commitment to exemplary corporate social responsibility as key features of its successful engagement with employees:

Training & Development - The firm encourages skills development and offers continuing education assistance to employees enrolled in qualifying programs of study. An internal "SE University" program encourages professional growth and skills development for all firm members through a variety of online modules, group training and one-on-one coaching. Young lawyers and law students are able to enhance their legal and business development skills through a robust Continuing Legal Education program and opportunities for secondment to one of the firm's other offices or to work in-house with clients.

Benefits & Work-Life Balance - The firm has embraced progressive policies related to flexible work hours, telecommuting and parental leave, including one-on-one professional transition counselling for lawyers returning from maternity leave. Employee benefits include comprehensive medical, dental and employee assistance coverage. Active Wellness Committees provide firm members with resources and host speakers on topics such as nutrition, stress management and financial planning.

Diversity - Internally, the firm has undertaken several inclusivity initiatives including recruitment from within diverse communities, individual mentoring and religious/cultural holiday awareness. An external program includes significant community and school outreach and involvement with groups such as Pathways to Education and the Black Business and Professional Association. The firm is a supporter of legal community initiatives to assist international lawyers seeking credentials in Canada .

Women's Initiatives - Stikeman Elliott's women's initiatives encompass both leadership and business development programs, as well as policies to support family obligations and work-life balance. Specific programs to promote women's success include focused recruiting efforts, business development, skills training and networking events and mentorship programs.

GoingGreen/VirageVert Program - Stikeman Elliott was certified in 2009 as the first national law firm to be carbon neutral after a series of initiatives aimed at conserving energy and reducing waste and continues to explore ways to reduce its carbon footprint nationwide.

Community Involvement & Pro Bono - The firm provides resources to support grass roots initiatives led by its firm members and offers matching donations for volunteer time committed to charitable organizations. Firm members help more than 60 organizations through volunteering, enhancing awareness and fundraising more than $1,000,000 annually across Canada .

    
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    ABOUT STIKEMAN ELLIOTT LLP
    

Stikeman Elliott LLP is one of Canada's leading business law firms with over 500 lawyers in five offices across Canada . The firm is a Canadian leader in each of its core practice areas - corporate finance, M&A, banking, corporate commercial, real estate, tax, insolvency, structured finance, competition, infrastructure, telecommunications, intellectual property, employment and business litigation - and has developed in-depth knowledge of a wide range of industries from banking and insurance to energy, mining and technology. The firm is recognized as a leader in Canadian capital markets and in domestic and international M&A by industry league tables and directories, and is ranked among Canada's top business litigation practices by Canadian publisher, Lexpert. Stikeman Elliott maintains offices in Montréal, Ottawa , Toronto , Calgary and Vancouver , as well as London , New York and Sydney. The firm was named as one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada for 2010, and as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers and the Greater Toronto Area's Top 90 Employers in both 2010 and 2009.

For more information about Stikeman Elliott, please visit our website at www.stikeman.com

For further information: MEDIA CONTACT: Diana Lawrence, National Director, Marketing and Communications, [phone], [email protected]; Mirabel Paquette, Director of Marketing and Communications, [phone], [email protected]