YYC Employment Law Group and Getz, Collins & Associates Announce Landmark Merger to Create Full-Service Regional Law Boutique with Special Emphasis on Employment Law

CALGARY, Dec. 20, 2019 /CNW/ - YYC Employment Law Group (www.yyc.law) and Getz, Collins & Associates (www.getzcollins.com), two respected Alberta-based law firms, are pleased to announce their landmark agreement, merging their firms to create a regional full-service law boutique with particular emphasis on employment law to help employees within southern Alberta's struggling economy.

The transaction will redefine the Calgary and southern Alberta legal markets by way of providing a distinct alternative to the traditional and unchanged legal services model. Clients will benefit from both focused employment law counsel as well as from immediate accessibility to a full-service suite of high-quality and cost-effective legal services as a single-source service provider of services. The transaction, which will result in the merger of YYC Employment Law Group and Getz, Collins & Associates under the name Collins Dugandzic LLP, will provide significant scale, experience and resources and have the Firm well-positioned for further dynamic growth.

"This is a significant step forward for the Calgary and southern Alberta legal markets, representing another milestone development in our growth," says Stephen Dugandzic, Founder and Executive Director of YYC Employment Law Group. "We are excited to combine with Getz, Collins & Associates' high-quality assets and talented personnel, and we'll continue to set the standard for service quality, benefitting our clients."

"Our shared visions, philosophies and values coupled with our combined experience and resources will enable us to further fulfill our mutual objectives of continuing to effect meaningful change in our profession as we continue to meet and exceed client expectations as a modern and forward-thinking boutique law practice," says Randi Collins, Principal of Getz, Collins & Associates.

Collins Dugandzic LLP will continue to operate under the trade name YYC Employment Law Group for all employment law matters and will maintain a dedicated and focused employment law division based out of the Firm's Calgary office, alongside its other office location in Strathmore. Collins Dugandzic LLP will be led by Randi Collins as Managing Partner and Stephen Dugandzic as Partner & Director, Business Development. The merger will take effect January 1, 2020.

About YYC Employment Law Group

YYC Employment Law Group was formed in July 2018 by Calgary employment lawyer, Stephen Dugandzic, to provide a fresh, innovative alternative to an outdated model in the Calgary legal market. Mr. Dugandzic received his legal training with the Calgary office of Bennett Jones LLP before working in an in-house capacity with a national energy services company, then assisting with the growth and development of another established Calgary employment law firm. Wanting change, the Firm focused on facilitating greater access to justice for Calgary-based employees who couldn't otherwise afford legal representation in their time of need because of prohibitive legal costs. Through offering reasonable flat-rate fees, community outreach and education initiatives, and a personalized level of client-focused service that Calgary's employees hadn't previously seen, YYC Employment Law Group quickly differentiated its brand and emerged as a strong, growing force in Calgary's legal market. In 18 months since its inception, the Firm assisted over 700 Calgary-based employees and has established a prominent presence in the local community.

About Getz, Collins & Associates

Getz, Collins & Associates has been a prominent and family-focused fixture in the Strathmore, Alberta community since the mid-1980's before entering the Calgary market in 2018. Formed by senior lawyer John Getz, the Firm was owned and managed by Randi Collins since 2018, offering legal advice and representation in practice areas from corporate/commercial, employment, criminal, real estate and family matters to oil & gas and civil litigation. For decades, the Firm serviced the community's legal needs and exceeded expectations as a cornerstone of the regional legal market as a full-service provider of ethical, high-quality legal services. Randi Collins is an experienced and skilled employment litigator, who also worked for years as in-house regional counsel to a global oil and gas service company, advising on day to day business operations and legal matters, including corporate, employment, procurement, credit and collections, real estate, intellectual property and risk, to name a few.

SOURCE Collins Dugandzic LLP

Stephen A. Dugandzic / Randi K. Collins, 403-384-9204, [email protected]