First Place
Stikeman Elliott LLP — Registration Reform

What the Judges said:

A strong strategy and execution with high value. When the government issued the decree (on Friday), eight people worked through the weekend until they finished the content (on Monday). The firm then became the de-facto firm on the issue because no other firm had information out for another month. In the world of "good, fast, cheap…pick two " this is not cheap, but the hard work should be recognized.

Stikeman Elliott has continually been first in providing pertinent information regarding changes to the securities registration regime to its clients. For the last three years, extensive changes to the securities registration regime in Canada have been under discussion; these changes would greatly impact many of the firm’s clients. Since these changes would impact different types of clients, the Registration Reform publication was strategically broken out into parts to ensure that clients were appraised of the extent of the changes, what it meant for their business, and what they would have to do (with assistance) going forward.

The team working on the project prepared a comprehensive draft of the publication based on previous drafts of the legislation and ensured all templates were set up for ease of delivery, so that once the final form of legislation was published, lawyers simply had to update the work already completed.

The changes to registration reform were announced on Friday, July 17, 2009 and the Securities, Investment Funds and Knowledge Management Groups worked over the weekend along with the marketing team, to prepare the publication. The final product, consisting of a 69-page comprehensive review and detailed analysis of the legislation, was posted on Canadian Securities Law Online, the securities blog, on Monday, July 20, 2009 and further e-mailed to 8,162 contacts on Tuesday, July 21, 2009. Analysis was released via a newsletter portal and provided a clear and  concise overview of the legislation and accompanying documentation. The firm also provided links to 16 downloadable pdf files, including a detailed overview and specific analysis outlining implications to 14 industry-sectors, and useful links of the provincial and national regulators. The communication plan allowed clients easy access to the latest in the registration requirements in the quickest and most efficient manner.  

Summary of Outcomes

Stikeman Elliott was the first law firm out of the gates. Canadian Securities Law Online's viewership increased by 25% during July 2009. In addition, two successful client seminars with 180 clients in attendance (highest attendance in 2009) took place in August in Toronto. A surprising number of calls and e-mails from clients and others in the securities industry complemented us on the publication, its comprehensiveness, ease of use and as a first reference for matters dealing with registration reform. The publication has been a platform for new business, increasing registration and registration related work.