Lydia Bugden, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner, Stewart McKelvey

This month, we spoke with Lydia Bugden, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner at Stewart McKelvey.

Tell us about Stewart McKelvey and the greatest opportunities/challenges that lie ahead.

Greatest opportunities: The excitement around the Ocean Supercluster, the positive environment the city has created for startups and the energy that we are seeing in the collaboration between public and private enterprise causes us great excitement and optimism for the future. In terms of practicing law, our own efforts as leader in innovation for both our business and for client solutions is in perfect alignment with what we are seeing in Halifax and across Atlantic Canada.

Greatest challenges: Many businesses in Atlantic Canada experience the same challenges as many of our clients in terms of accessing markets and work outside our region. To follow our clients providing services as they grow, we too need to be nimble and accessible to them.

What do you see as the greatest advantages of operating a business in Halifax?

We’ve been very fortunate that Atlantic Canada has always been seen as a great place to practice law so attracting strong talent has never been an issue. We have a robust university sector and three law schools within very close proximity providing a great pool of young talent and now, with Halifax being a great little city, retaining young families is not an issue. It is not lost on us either that the leadership of the city, provided by the Mayor’s enthusiasm and as its visible champion, is recognized nationally and beyond which helps put Halifax on the map.

Hiring youth is important to the economic growth of Nova Scotia – what is Stewart McKelvey doing?

For decades we have had a strong presence in the university sector whether through our lawyers actively involved as stewards or chairs of university boards; as volunteers in teaching classes at the three Atlantic Canadian law schools; or through financial assistance by the scholarships we’ve established. In doing so, we believe we have helped create opportunities for young people to pursue higher education and remain in the region. Beyond that, in our corner of the world, we annually refresh our talent both through our on campus recruitment of law students to co-op opportunities for paralegals to support roles for our business.

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