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f i Page 24 The Claringlon/Courticc Independent, Bowmanville, Saturday, November 29,1997 Business Must Adjust to Globalization Trends Lawyer with International Firm Visits Rotary by Lorraine Manfredo Staff Writer As global competition heats up, clients can be more and more demanding. demanding. At the same lime, a new generation of worker is questioning the payoffs of putting in long hours on the job. That's the modern reality reality of doing business, says of Clarington-born lawyer, Edward Kowal, Q.C. He has 20 years' experience at Baker & McKenzie, an international law firm with 2,100 lawyers working in 35 different countries. It used to be almost a guarantee that a new employee could work his or her way up the ranks to the top, he told Rotary Club members and guests on Thursday. Perks and Pay From page 1 for serving on boards. For instance, local councillor David Scott received $420 to serve on the Ganaraska Conservation Authority and Councillor Mary Novak earned $136 for serving on the Kawartha Region Conservation Authority in 1996.. At The Region Clarington's two regional regional councillors will get the same pay of $15,849 at the local level, plus remuneration remuneration of $21,840 from the Durham Region. Those numbers may increase as meeting expenses, expenses, and conference expenses arc added. Also, regional councillors who serve as appointees to local boards may be entitled to additional additional pay. For example, former regional councillor Ann Dreslinski received $740 as Clarington's representative on the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority. Former regional councillors Larry Hannah received $850 and Carson Elliott revived $250 on the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA). As the chair of the Durham Region Non-Proft Housing Authority, Mayor Diane Hamre received $3,120 in 1996. The only board appointees not to receive compensation or expenses are those serving on the Children's Aid Society, the Durham College Board, 9- 1-1 Management Board, the Durham Region District of Health Council or the various various hospital boards. Durham Regional Council Chair, Jim Wiity, says when regional councillors councillors retire or are not reelected, reelected, they may receive, if they request it, a one-time only severance payment from the Durham Region. "They have to apply for it," Witty said. "And it is a payment of one month salary for each year they have been in office." He noted that "a couple of years ago the councillors discussed having a pension. But they didn't have enough nerve to vote themselves a pension." MR Still on Asia Markets Durham MP Alex Shepherd remains very much a believer in Asian markets, despite the recent currency crisis in the region. He views the financial instability there as "a bump along the road" and something all countries experience from time to time. "It's still a huge, emerging economy," he says, "and we have to be part of it." He points to China, with its population of over one billion people, and predicts it will one day become a tremendous market. But trade relations take a long time to develop. develop. Canada enjoys a good position in the Pacific Rim, in part due to a history history of foreign aid, he says. "That has created an environment environment where people arc happy to deal with us. In fact, in many cases Canada is preferred over America." Shepherd, who chairs a federal economic development development committee, says there is always a double side to any currency crisis. The people's incomes may become stagnated on a temporary basis, but their exports into North America arc cheaper, which should increase industrial activity, And what about severance severance payments to local councillors? Here in Clarington, there is no such benefit. The departing councillors "would get their regular pay until Nov. 30," says Taylor. "But it doesn't work that way anymore. Partners in law firms arc working longer hours than associates -- longer hours than juniors." While junior lawyers arc expected to match the 1,750 billable hours per year put in by partners, juniors only log about 350 hours per year in the service service side of the job, which includes such things as professional development, charity work and community community service, Kowal notes. That's 150 fewer hours than partners typically put in. The next generation may have a better sense of what work is for, he speculates. speculates. With two-income families families now the norm, the younger worker may consider consider domestic duties and family obligations on equal plane with the career, he suggests. However, while this new altitude to work takes hold in North America, international clients are more demanding and can choose to do business with any number of reputable firms around the world Gone arc the days of client loyalty to a single firm based on old school tics or family connections, Kowal states. Clients seek out the top outfits based on an international ranking. "The pattern for holding holding on to a client, especially especially for a larger Finn, has changed. These days, a few manage to keep a client for seven years and that is considered remarkable, remarkable, whereas a 10 or 15- ycar relationship would have been common 15 or 20 years ago." Businesses needn't feel threatened by these trends, Kowal says. But they will have to adjust. As an international law firm, "we have to try to cope with these problems. Try to keep the client and keep good lawyers." Hanging on to good lawyers isn't just for their sake. It's for the financial well-being of the firm. In law there is a estimated estimated cost of between $250,000 to $400,000 invested in training lawyers before they begin to make a contribution to the pot. People in their teens and 20's arc familiar with the hard reality that they will end up having at least five different employers in their lifetimes and may be living in a number of different different communities. That's an adjustment the worker has made. The firms of the new millennium will need to be ready for the impact of these social changes, says Kowal. International lawyer Edward Kowal (right) was the featured speaker at the November 20th meeting of the Bowmanville Rotary Club. His topic was globalization and its effects on business. Mr. Kowal is a lawyer with the international law firm Baker and McKenzie. 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