Small Business Centre
Every day, one truth reasserts itself in Atlantic Canada: small business is the backbone of our economy. We appreciate that many of the large companies we represent were little more than start-ups, and we have grown together. Indeed, that is among our greatest accomplishments – helping Atlantic Canadian business grow.
We are redefining the Client-Law Firm Relationship. Small businesses face unique demands and unique legal situations. Sometimes, they’re simple, other times, they can be quite complex. That’s what made us recognize that to properly serve our small business clients, we needed a model that was responsive to all legal issues, large and small.
In addition, your business goes through a lot of changes over the course of time, and your legal needs change with it. With Atlantic One Call, you get a Primary Lawyer, a customized team, and, when necessary, the weight of McInnes Cooper’s best legal minds. Whatever your legal needs, you can turn to McInnes Cooper. Because with us, you don’t get a lawyer, you get a law firm.
Our experience with smaller businesses like yours has given us an in-depth understanding of the legal issues you face, including:
- real estate,
- employment,
- tax,
- litigation,
- patents,
- trademarks and
- numerous aspects of business law.
As your business grows, there is a good chance that you will need a broader range of legal services. But it also will become increasingly important that your service providers have a complete picture of all your legal requirements.
That’s why we have put together a suite of services tailored for smaller businesses. We call it Atlantic One Call. You make one call, and your designated team takes care of you.
Because your team handles all your legal work, they know exactly which resources to put on a specific task. It may be a Paralegal, an Associate or a Partner, or a combination of resources depending on the situation.
Atlantic One Call. A New Client-Lawyer Model.
The idea behind Atlantic One Call is to simplify your relationship with McInnes Cooper. You are assigned a lawyer who will be your constant contact with us. Consider this “go-to” person your Primary Lawyer. She or he will be responsible for making sure you receive the services you need for any given issue.
If the situation demands the expertise of another lawyer, your Primary will ensure you get the lawyer you need.
Your Primary will always be available to make sure you have immediate access to lawyers and staff, and responsive to short or unexpected deadlines. Your Primary also will be responsible for providing consistent quality, continuity, coordination, monitoring and support.
Your One Call means:
- One Primary Lawyer heading up one team – yours
- You only have to explain your situation one time
- You get a lasting relationship with a team that gets to know you and your business thoroughly
- Various levels of expertise – you have a whole law firm behind you
- Many areas of service – across specialties and across the region
- A fee arrangement built around your situation
A Retainer Developed Especially for Small Business. Our small business clients have helped us develop a new type of retainer that treats ongoing legal services as a suite tailored to meet needs and budgets. Our new Service Suites include:
- Routine legal advice priced appropriately for standard transactions, non-complex litigation and day-to-day needs
- First 30 minutes to discuss any new matter included in retainer
- Fast referrals when specialized expertise is required
- Client seminars pertinent to your business or industry
- An initial meeting, at our expense, of your Primary Lawyer and a second team member with your executive team so we fully understand your business objectives
- Attendance at your Board or committee meetings at a low, flat fee
- Access to on-line databases and our internal library
- Being on our mailing list to receive legal updates
Each client is unique, so each arrangement we make reflects your needs and budgets.
Added Value Services
We listen to our clients. And our clients tell us they don’t want to leave their businesses for a meeting with their law firm. So we’re bringing client service to them.
We’re doing house calls… again.
It’s the new old-fashioned way to deliver client service. Our lawyers are providing legal services tailored to entrepreneurs – call it a health check for your business – and we are happy to swing by your shop.
Why? Because you said you might like that.
Entreprenurial Services
Members of our entrepreneurial team have also penned a web-exclusive series all about what start-ups and entrepreneurs need to know. A full archive of the articles to-date are published here.