By ADELLE LARMOUR
Timmins – A proactive hiring approach has been instrumental in aiding the Timmins Riopelle-Griener law firm fight youth out-migration.
In fact, partners Kevin Griener and Robert Riopelle Jr. have specifically sought out people born and raised in the region, knowing full well Northerners have a greater appreciation for the lifestyle.
The law firm, which began under Robert Riopelle Sr. 28 years ago, specializes in corporate business law, but has diversified its services in order to meet all the needs of its clients. The boom in the resource sector, particularly mining, has also increased the firm’s business. This expansion has led to the hire of three associate lawyers within the past year, all from Timmins, topping the payroll up to 16 employees.
As the firm grew, both Griener and Riopelle began informally scouting for prospective lawyers via friends and family who were in law school.
“Once we had some potential candidates we thought would be a good fit, we moved into a more formal interview process,” Griener says.
By intentionally choosing people with roots in the community or area, the chances of retention are increased, according to the barrister.
Griener adds that hiring a lawyer from Northern Ontario gives them more insight into the issues unique to the region.
“There are different factors that have to be considered,” he says. “Not only have we lived here and seen the issues, but we’ve worked in a lot of these industries in our high school and summer jobs, so we’ve experienced them first-hand.”
Now a 10-year veteran of the practice, Griener came back to his hometown for the lifestyle.
“I grew up camping, enjoying the outdoors, fishing,” Griener says. “The years I spent at school, I longed to get back the whole time I was there.”
He is not alone. Riopelle Jr. also returned from southern Ontario, as did the three associate lawyers, because of interest in smaller communities, and family and friends.
Twenty-six-year-old Pierre Lambert-Bélanger, the most recent addition to the team, grew up in Timmins and is happy to be back among family and friends.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity to come back and work in a smaller community,” he says. “It’s the quality of living. It’s a different lifestyle, and the people are friendly.”
He says he gets more hands-on experience, independence and contact with clients than if he had stayed in a bigger firm in the city. “I have carriage of my own files, and I’m the lead lawyer on the file,” he says. “It’s a better experience.”
