Managing Partner Sylvie Rodrigue on strategy and success after six years in Montréal

Montréal office Managing Partner Sylvie Rodrigue has told Droit-Inc that, if given her time again, she would change “absolutely nothing” about the strategy the firm took in building its presence from the ground up in Montréal.

Droit-Inc sat down with Sylvie to discuss Torys’ six years in Montréal, what it took to get there and what the future holds.

Sylvie has led the office since its inception, being the first and only lawyer on the ground on day one. The firm now boasts 13 lawyers practicing in Montréal, with a recent jump into corporate law with the recruit of Guillaume Lavoie.

“The Montréal office was successful from the start,” Sylvie told the publication.

“Notwithstanding the smaller number of lawyers relative to other firms, when we look at docket information in Québec, particularly in class actions, we are among the top five firms in terms of the number and importance of the cases in the business community.”

“I still believe the strategy was the right one.

“Torys’ culture is unique in Canada. It was out of the question to do a merger or to recruit a large number of lawyers to focus solely on quantity rather than quality. We have grown in accordance with client demands.”

It was those client requests—to add a corporate law dimension in Montréal—that led to the hiring of Guillaume. Sylvie added that fostering relationships with clients through meeting their requests was a high priority.

“He has an exceptional profile, and he is highly respected by clients in his field of practice,” she said.

“Torys does not really provide unique or occasional legal representation. We develop very deep relationships with our clients, and we serve them in all their needs.

“When we hire our lawyers, we do not focus only on excellence. The firm selects people who are willing to work as a team for the common good and who are not focused on themselves.

“All Torys lawyers share this mindset.”

The full interview with Sylvie is in French and can be found on Droit-Inc’s website.