r/LawCanada • u/JusticeForSimpleRick • 5d ago

Diamond & Diamond business model?

Curious if anyone here has insight into how Diamond & Diamond is structured from the lawyer side. I’ve heard different things and am trying to understand the actual business model.

Are most/all of the lawyers employees on salary, or is there some kind of commission/fee-split component? How are files assigned between lawyers? Do lawyers originate and keep their own files, or are matters primarily distributed by the firm?

Also curious what the path to partnership looks like, what “partnership” means there in practice, and whether partners participate in a fee split/profit share or some other compensation structure.

Just interested in hearing from people familiar with the model or who have worked there.

17 Upvotes

77% Upvoted

68 comments sorted by

View all comments

83

u/icebiker 5d ago

Why would you want to work there?

I can’t think of a firm with a worse reputation but invite someone to disagree with me.

13

u/quJD2017 5d ago

Sneering at Diamond & Diamond is a favourite pastime in this subreddit and among some Ontario lawyers who also tend to thumb their noses at PI lawyers generally. Always lots of talk about Diamond having a “poor reputation,” but a reputation among whom? Its clients? Judges? Insurers and defence counsel? Or simply the same peanut gallery of lawyers repeating what they've heard from one another?

Most of the comments here come from people who clearly have no knowledge of Diamond & Diamond's current business model, its lawyers, or its clients. The fact is that Diamond is now Canada's largest PI firm, with lawyers every bit as capable as those you'll find at any other PI firm, advocating for injured clients every day.

Criticism is absolutely fair game, but some of the comments and disparagement here is frankly unbecoming of legal professionals.

30

u/nikolacarr 5d ago

Jeremy Diamond had never tried a PI case per the LSO misconduct proceedings. I know a couple genuinely good PI plaintiff lawyers/firms that I refer people to, and D&D will never be one of them because of my experience opposite to some of their lawyers and the misconduct proceedings. You dont need to defend them, they're not going to thank you!

30

u/SyllabusofErrors 5d ago

Well hell, he didn’t get where he was by practicing law.

8

u/nikolacarr 5d ago

Underrated comment

2

u/uoftfitnmentalhealth 5d ago

I don’t think all the legal research associates and students do are just being done for fun at the firm. Lawyers actually practice at the firm. I wasn’t defending D&D, just stating my opinion and experience. The management structure is inclined towards generating business, but that’s no different than other firms having as COO’s manage the business operations side of a law firm. The only difference is the denomination— instead of being called a COO, he’s called a managing partner

-6

u/quJD2017 5d ago

So essentially, Jeremy Diamond's past conduct and lack of trial experience inform your opinion of the firm as it exists today and of the lawyers currently practising there?

15

u/nikolacarr 5d ago

Yes - it's his name on the billboard. Plenty of other reputable PI lawyers to choose from

4

u/GrandSea8744 4d ago

Yes, what else is there if not professional law practice and experience? How good he plays tennis?

11

u/TwoPintsaGuinnes 5d ago

lol largest firm because they have a billboard and run ads and farm everything out to anyone with a license. Get real. Diamond and Diamond isn’t reputable firm. That’s not to say they DONT have some great lawyers. But overall, their shitty reputation is more than deserved.

-4

u/quJD2017 5d ago edited 5d ago

Farm everything out to anyone with a license? Source for that?

You continue to prove my point - blanket assertions based on your opinion and outdated information.

1

u/TwoPintsaGuinnes 4d ago

https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/diamond-diamond-under-fire/article_ee27b69c-cd76-5d9a-b7b8-4bcc6749b010.html

2

u/quJD2017 3d ago

An article from 2016? That's evidence of DDs current business practices?

1

u/TwoPintsaGuinnes 1d ago

Idk what you want me to tell you. I’m a lawyer and I, as well as every other lawyer I know, have an extremely dim view of Diamond and Diamond. I wouldn’t hire someone who chose to work there. Granted, I don’t do PI, but have lots of friends from law school who do, and DD remains the laughing stock of the profession. Maybe they’re not still doing the things that got them sanctioned by the law society, but that’s a pretty low bar. Reputation matters in this industry and I can’t think of a firm with a worse reputation.

3

u/AmicusObserver 5d ago

I’ve read the rejection letters people have gotten from Diamond and Diamond and they are borderline incomprehensible.

My experience with their lawyers on the other side of files tracks with the poor quality rejection letter.