BC's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 58
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BC’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
Teamwork enhances well-being at Lawson Lundell
O
leksandra Zhekova
came to Canada in
2022, shortly after
the war started in
Ukraine. Within
weeks, she was connected with
Lawson Lundell LLP, where she
was hired as a floater to assist legal
assistants through busy times.
“They hired me and believed
in me even though I had no
Canadian history of employment,”
says Zhekova, now senior legal
assistant to the managing partner
and senior mining partner. “It was
a huge opportunity and a fresh
start for me.”
At Lawson Lundell, the
welfare of our people is a
priority. We find they are
more likely to be their
best selves if we can help
them to access the
right resources.
— Karen MacMillan
Managing Partner
Headquartered in Vancouver,
Lawson Lundell is a full-service
business law firm serving all
major industries active in Western
and Northern Canada.
Managing partner Karen
MacMillan has been with Lawson
Lundell for 27 years and believes
that, though the firm has grown,
its culture has not changed that
much. “It’s a culture that has held
true to its values of trust, respect
and teamwork,” she says.
MacMillan initially applied to
Benefits at Lawson Lundell include multiple health and wellness related accounts to encourage overall
employee well-being.
Lawson Lundell for a summer
student position. It was the first
firm she interviewed with and
none of the others compared.
“It stood out because the people
seemed to genuinely like and
enjoy each other,” she says. She
went on to article there and was
hired as a lawyer.
The firm supported MacMillan
in working reduced hours when
she was parenting three young
children. Eventually, she became
a partner. Three years ago, her
partners asked her to become
deputy managing partner and,
today, she is managing partner
of Lawson Lundell. “Becoming
managing partner was never a
career path I pictured for myself,”
she says. “I have the good fortune
to have loved my job for more than
two decades.”
Fifteen years ago, MacMillan
was the firm’s first chief
inclusiveness officer. Now, the
firm makes sure that its policies
evolve to create space for diversity
and that people receive ongoing
education on the importance of
inclusion.
MacMillan feels this is just one
small way the company works to
ensure employees have a happy,
healthy workplace. The office
has spaces such as an in-house
movement room with yoga
mats and walking treadmills.
Lunchtime classes have included
meditation and jujitsu. A quiet
room has comfortable chairs,
mats, soft lighting, a fridge for
new mothers and a sink where
employees can wash before prayer.
Benefits include multiple
wellness-related accounts — one
for activities such as skiing or
yoga, a health spending account
for allied health professionals
such as physiotherapists, and
a mental health practitioner
account. Most importantly,
people help each other out when
required.
“At Lawson Lundell, the welfare
of our people is a priority,” says
MacMillan. “We find they are
more likely to be their best selves
if we can help them to access the
right resources.”
Zhekova has experienced the
co-operative nature of working
with the firm. Since she started,
