Celebrating Milestones

If you have been following the student blog, you may know that 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of McCague Borlack LLP. In honour of its 20th anniversary, the firm has planned 20 events throughout the year to commemorate the 20 years since the firm was founded.

Without the ritual of celebration, it’s difficult to see how far you have come.

Last Saturday, the firm went on a boat cruise around Lake Ontario. The cruise ship was called Captain Matthew Flinders: the largest and grandest of all ships at the Toronto harbour. As we boarded the majestic ship on a very mild autumn night, it was difficult not to appreciate the beauty of the downtown Toronto skyline when viewed from the harbour front. The ship started to sail and we began our evening journey in great company.

The turnout was wonderful: everyone from partners, associates, clerks and articling students, assistants and office services attended. Guests and significant others were welcomed as well and it was wonderful to finally put faces to the names often mentioned by my colleagues. The food (especially the pumpkin pie) was fantastic and the music was fun.

Looking back, I realize that Saturday night was a great opportunity not only to celebrate the firm’s achievement and important anniversary but also for the people that make up MB to get to know each other a little better. Celebrating milestones such as a successful two decades together and getting to know each other outside of the office fosters teamwork and collegiality at the office. It was wonderful to see everyone at MB take pride in our exciting, supportive and team-based culture.

Without the ritual of celebration, it’s difficult to see how far you have come. I started thinking about what this celebration meant and how it defined the culture at MB. There is no doubt that much has changed over 20 years, but a constant that has remained unchanged at MB is the collegial environment and the amazing people. On Saturday night, I had an opportunity to experience the unique collegiality of MB as it transcended the walls of the office and we all gathered together to celebrate this important milestone as a team.

Of course, the night would have been impossible to achieve without the dedication and hard work that went into the planning. The boat cruise, which no doubt was an organizational feat in and of itself, led me to appreciate my colleagues at McCague Borlack LLP even more.

Overall, it was an excellent night and I look forward to celebrating many more milestones aboard the MB journey.

Irina S.