Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 30
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CANADA'S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS (2025)
Duncan Craig LLP puts a premium on community
F
ounded in 1894, more than
a decade before Alberta
became a province,
Edmonton-based law firm
Duncan Craig LLP has deep roots
in the community, something the
firm never takes for granted.
“Our community includes businesses of all sizes, as well as individuals, and they are the source of
our work,” says managing partner
Darren Bieganek. “In return for
what the community brings to us,
we need to be active participants
in giving back.”
A key way of doing this is
through the Duncan Craig
Community Fund, which is administered through the Edmonton
Community Foundation.
Fundraising events throughout
the year generate contributions
that are then matched by the firm.
Each year, staff and lawyers nominate and vote on the charities and
non-profits they want to support.
In this way, Duncan Craig is able
to provide annual support to dozens of charitable organizations,
scholarships, school groups and
fundraising initiatives.
The firm gives back in other
ways. Employees can request a
half day off annually, with pay, to
volunteer at an organization of
their choice.
This past holiday season,
instead of sending gifts to clients
and key suppliers, the firm’s lawyers sent out cards advising them
that donations would be made to
the Edmonton Food Bank and the
Hope Mission — an initiative that
was warmly received.
Isabel Murdoch had been an
active community volunteer even
before she articled with Duncan
Craig in 2019 and joined the
firm the following year as a civil
litigation lawyer after being called
to the bar.
Murdoch continues to volunteer through the Edmonton
Community Legal Centre and also
takes advantage of the firm-driven
volunteer events to help out at
organizations like the Edmonton’s
Food Bank.
Murdoch is particularly active
in Duncan Craig’s internal social
committee, helping to organize the
firm’s annual children's Christmas
party and other social events that
give staff and lawyers opportunities to socialize with each other
outside of work, and often with
family members.
“It’s a good way to get to know
people you work with in a more
personal setting,” says Murdoch.
“It’s also easier to consult with
colleagues on difficult files or
issues when you have a personal
relationship. I find that takes a lot
of the stress of the job away.”
Bieganek says the committee
work Murdoch and other members of the firm do is extremely
important for team building.
“This has tremendous benefits
across the firm for morale, showing the benefits of collaboration
and simply getting to know one
another.”
Duncan Craig is currently on
a bit of a growth curve, adding
five new positions over the past
year, with more to come. As those
“IN RETURN FOR WHAT THE COMMUNITY BRINGS TO US,
WE NEED TO BE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN GIVING BACK.”
— Darren Bieganek, Managing Partner
Employees at Duncan Craig LLP participate in Pink Shirt Day, an anti-bullying initiative.
