by Susan Archibald

What better way to engage your employees in the pursuit of excellence than by sponsoring promising athletes and teams, and sharing their stories of motivation and dedication?

Three law firms are multi-year sponsors of local sport organizations, enabling their employees to see the pursuit of athletic excellence from a different perspective.

These firms talk about the benefits they are seeing from their sponsorship:

SHELLEY O’CALLAGHAN: Partner, Bull Housser & Tupper LLP
SPONSORSHIP: Skate Canada, B.C. and Yukon Territory

What prompted Bull Housser & Tupper to sponsor Skate Canada, B.C. and Yukon Territory (Skate Canada BC/YT)?

We were looking for a way to get involved in sport that would give us a meaningful and direct link with the athletes. A key component for us was finding personal connections with the skaters. With Skate Canada BC/YT we’ve worked together creatively to make a meaningful impact with our sponsorship.

What are some ways you are leveraging the sponsorship?

Skate Canada BC/YT’s junior development team of 8-10 athletes is named after us – the BH&T Team. We’ve gotten to know these athletes personally, with their biographies and competition updates posted on our internal website Ice Dreams. Our employees can send messages to the athletes by posting them to Ice Dreams. In addition, we’ve had a Family Skate giving our lawyers and staff the opportunity to see live demonstrations from the BH&T Team.

JAMES BOND: Partner, Lang Michener LLP
SPONSORSHIP: Canadian Snowboard Federation

What prompted Lang Michener to sponsor the Canadian Snowboard Federation (CSF)?

We wanted to ensure that if we sponsored an organization, it would involve more than just “writing a cheque.” We wanted to create ongoing relationships between the team and our clients and staff which would benefit everyone. The CSF is a national organization but is locally based, and many of the upcoming events will be held at local venues. Team members are also likely to win medals on the world stage, which adds to the excitement for our clients and staff.

What are some ways you are leveraging the sponsorship?

Our clients and staff have opportunities to attend upcoming National and World Cup events as VIPs (they even get snowboard lessons from Team members). Many of our employees plan to volunteer at these events. Team members will be invited to client and staff events as guest speakers. Our staff also came up with the idea of selling Team jerseys (with the Lang Michener logo) and giving the money raised back to the CSF.

JOHN SMITH: Managing Partner, Lawson Lundell
SPONSORSHIP: Canadian Freestyle Ski Association

What prompted Lawson Lundell to sponsor the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association?

Freestyle skiing is a fun, growing sport and we’re proud to help our Canadians maintain a strong profile in it. There is also a good geographic connection as many high-profile events are held in B.C.

What are some ways you are leveraging the sponsorship?

Our sponsorship includes three levels: sponsorship of the association, of three World Cup events and of athlete Warren Tanner. The sponsorship encompasses many aspects: exposure, hosting, financial, and moral support for the athletes and ultimately, a way for us to enable our firm to identify with major upcoming sport events.

Susan Archibald is the Managing Director, Marketing and Revenue Generation, for 2010 Legacies Now. For more information, contact Susan at sarchibald@2010legaciesnow.com or 778-327-5118.

This article was published in the June 2008 issue of BarTalk. © 2008 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.