Small Business Award winner spotlight: Fisher Law

During her acceptance speech of the SureCall Community Champion Award, Rowan Fisher, Founding Lawyer of Fisher Law, asked those in the room to raise their hands if they were an immigrant to Canada. Many proud hands were raised, depicting the importance of providing accessibility to information for newcomers.

Between 2021 and 2022, Statistics Canada reported over 25,000 people immigrated to Calgary and these numbers are expected to continue to grow. As a community champion, Rowan and her global team at Fisher Law will help many newcomers, who may need legal assistance during their move, to settle into their new lives in Canada.

Creating accessibility

Working with employers, non-government organizations (NGOs) and individual immigration clients, the Fisher Law team speaks with people from a wide range of industries and backgrounds. They provide information and legal assistance to employers who want to bring in temporary foreign workers or permanent residents, along with people who are overseas and looking for work in Canada. They are a tech-forward law firm, meaning they have lawyers across the globe who can meet both online or in-person.

“A great aspect to being online is offering accessibility to our lawyers and our clients. Looking at the internal perspective, regardless of someone’s abilities, we have a firm that can accommodate lawyers who may not be able to come into the office,” says Rowan. “We can accommodate very easily, which means we can have lawyers of all different backgrounds, needs and abilities join our team and the same goes for our clients.”

“If someone needs auditory, visual or other assistance, it can easily be provided,” she adds. “We also work on a 24-hour clock, so if a client needs to communicate in the morning, but it’s the middle of the night where their lawyer is, they can connect with another one of our lawyers. We provide immediate access to lawyers who can pass off information within the team—someone is always awake somewhere.”

Rowan notes her love for business immigration and her passion for helping people. However, her personal practice typically exists in individual immigration and with those seeking refuge.

“I work with people who are in unbelievably life-threatening, stressful, trauma-impacted situations inside Canada. The fact that there isn’t a lot of voice for this and there aren’t a lot of representatives or lawyers in this space keeps me motivated because I love what I do, and I believe in what I do.”

When comparing herself to other outstanding Calgarians, Rowan admits it was challenging to see herself as a community champion.

“I know there are so many others who do such great work,” she says. “A lot of the time, our clients and the organizations we work with simply need access to reliable immigration information. Finding good information can be difficult, so I like being able to provide it. I think working in the community is our duty as lawyers.”

“Overall, I think being a community champion means taking action, not just thinking or talking about it, but really doing something to make a positive impact for other humans.”

She believes everyone should find ways to bring positive impacts to their communities.

“Whatever way you want to help, it is out there. Whether it is 10 minutes a month, 10 hours a month or a lifetime, there are opportunities available. I think because of that, every single person can and should be a community champion.”

Forward-looking growth

When Rowan set out to begin Fisher Law three years ago, she intended to be a sole practitioner but quickly realized she could have a greater impact if she built a team. Her goals for the firm now include continued growth, most immediately starting by expanding the languages in which their services are offered.

“The team speaks nine languages at the moment and we would like to increase that as much as possible,” says Rowan. “We work with translators, but it is great to have lawyers be able to help their clients in their own language.”

“Pro-bono clinics are another big push I have planned for 2024,” she adds. “Fisher Law is piloting a pro-bono immigration legal services clinic in Whitehorse, Yukon, which they are working towards turning into a permanent program. Additionally, they are looking into opening a similar clinic right here in Calgary.”

Looking further ahead, Rowan recognizes how much the team has already pivoted and says she and her team are open to anything.

“We are ready for growth, development, change and adaptation. We’ve been this way since opening in January of 2021.”

Rowan doesn’t know exactly what the future holds for Fisher Law but envisions continued growth. “I see growth, I see community work, more clients and all these things coming in,” she says. “But there is so much in the mix right now, I just don’t know where it will all take us.”

Boosting communities and business

Understanding the importance of Fisher Law’s community work, Rowan highlights the importance of the work her team does in the business community.

“I love the community side of the work we do. We work with amazing NGOs like the Centre for Newcomers, Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association, Calgary Catholic Immigrant Society, Portail de l’Immigrant Association and so many more,” says Rowan. “I am also proud of our work in the business community, presenting to employers and industry leaders, and attending conferences to answer questions about hiring temporary foreign workers and permanent residents.”

“We present to different organizations and employers all throughout the Bow Valley and we always hope that somebody gets something out of it, we hope we provide someone better access to a resource, or that an employer gains a better understanding on how immigration restructuring can help their organization,” says Rowan. “I think our team deserves praise for how they’re helping employers in Calgary and across Canada during incredible labour shortages and to help our economy grow.”

At the 40th Calgary Small Business Awards, that praise was received by the Fisher Law team, offering a well-earned morale boost.

“Winning this award was an amazing boost for the team who works so hard. This award gives a little bit of light and a pat on the back that is so well-deserved,” Rowan says. “When you do good work, you’re not doing it for the pat on the back, but it is still lovely to have someone recognize what we are doing in the community.”

“When people recognize what our team is doing, it is exceptional and makes them feel great.”

See the full list of winners from the 40th Calgary Small Business Awards. For more information about Fisher Law, visit www.fisher-law.ca.