Category Archives: News

Excerpt

BIG changes are on the way for separating couples under a new Family Law Act that’s set to change the way family breakups are dealt with in British Columbia.

The new law recently received royal assent and is expected to come into force over the next year to year and a half.

But many couples aren’t waiting to find out what it means to them.

“A lot of family lawyers are getting calls about it,” said Nicole Garton-Jones, a lawyer who works on mediating family law cases in West Vancouver.

“I’m getting calls saying ‘Am I going to be better under the current legislation or the future legislation?’”

The changes – the first in more than 30 years – aim to make the court process less adversarial and deal with modern-day realities such as common-law and same-sex couples.

Read the full article “Changes to family law the first in 30+ years” online in the North Shore News, November 30th, 2011.

Excerpt from Lawyers Weekly Sept 23, 2011 Edition

Nicole Garton-Jones ranked 6th for private practice lawyers in unofficial analysis by Laywers Weekly magazine.

Read the full article in pdf format: The Lawyers Weekly Sept 23 – Canada’s Top Legal Tweeters

Excerpt  ” Entrepreneurship is about creativity, ambition and boldness - isn’t not an easy thing to teach in schools or promote with policy. If we want more women starting businesses in BC, we need to understand what’s holding them back.

To explore this complex issue, we sat down with three experts who know what it takes to make it as an entrepreneur: Kathy McGarrigle, COO of Coast Capital Savings and the executive in charge of small-business lending; Nicole Garton-Jones, founder and managing partner of Heritage Law; and Cybele Negris, president and a founding partner of Webnames.ca and board member of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs.”

Download and read the entire article in PDF format Where are the Women? BC Business Sept 2011“

Business in Vancouver – July 5, 2011

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“There is a lack of a common definition of a family business, but it is generally considered to be a business with two or more family members who have financial control of the company where there is some intent to transfer the business to the next generation.

Family businesses are often reflected as a system of three intersecting circles: the business circle, the family circle and the ownership circle….”

Read the full article in PDF – Business in Vancouver July 5-11, 2011

By   MALCOLM PARRY , The Vancouver Sun – June 22, 2011

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ALL IN THE FAMILY LAW: One of entrepreneurism’s parallel challenges for women is pregnancy. No sooner is a good idea born, it seems, than the rabbit dies. So it was for former Bull Housser Tupper and Borden Ladner Gervais lawyer Nicole Garton-Jones, 38, who set up her own Heritage Law firm in June, 2005. Days later, she learned that daughter Emily was due.

Read the full article in PDF Vancouver-Sun-June-23

Read the original article on Vancouver Sun website

By Jenny Wagler, Business In Vancouver – April 5–11, 2011

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As a clash between child-rearing responsibilities and the grueling work weeks of traditional law firms continues to drive women lawyers out of private practice, local law firms are emerging with structures that allow for working moms’ scheduling needs. As such, they are poised to attract talent that their competitors can’t retain. Both Valkyrie Law Group LLP and Heritage Law have created virtual structures through cloud computing technology.
Read full article in PDF

From Business in Vancouver  - February 15-21, 2011

Photos and commentary from the BIV Top 40 under 40 Gala event

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From “Business in Vancouver Magazine” – December 28, 2010–January 3, 2011

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Nicole Garton-Jones abandoned the highstress world of corporate law to start her own firm and pursue balance between her work life and personal life. And then she found out she was pregnant, and, in addition to a baby, Heritage Law was born – a boutique firm that leverages technology to employ skilled lawyers who are also moms.

Read the full article in PDF

By Jordan Furlong, Canadian Bar Association – September 2010

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For decades, the traditional law firm business model has been a masterpiece of profitability, built on time-based billing, open-ended pricing and lawyers regularly reinventing the wheel.

But the model today is showing signs of strain as firms grapple to varying degrees with strategic stagnation, lawyer attrition and pricing pressures from clients. More and more industry watchers are warning that routine or repeatable elements of lawyers’ offerings — not the backbone of all practices, but of many — are about to suffer a steep decline in profitability. What’s more, shared risk, predictable prices, systemic efficiencies, alignment with client interests — these are what clients are asking for.

Read the full article in PDF