2015 marks the tenth anniversary of the Smith Neufeld Jodoin (SNJ) law office in Niverville. Lawyer Ron Janzen has anchored the office since it first opened.
“My experience working in Niverville has been a blessing to me. I started with a firm located at the corner of Portage and Main in Winnipeg. That was much different. From downtown Winnipeg traffic to parking costs, and the general atmosphere, there was a much different feel,” says Janzen. “It’s hard to describe, but generally speaking, it feels comfortable working with people in this community.”
SNJ was active in Niverville several decades before the local branch opened in 2005. John Neufeld, one of the firm’s named partners, used to meet with clients once a week at a space in the Niverville Credit Union. When the credit union expanded to its current size, branch manager George Sawatzky asked SNJ if they were interested in leasing a full-time office in the new building.
“Originally we thought that 2 lawyers might go to Niverville once each week, but on further discussion is was agreed that to provide the Niverville area with the best legal service it would be better to have one lawyer consistently attend that office,” Janzen says. “Within just a few weeks of [me] starting here, we hired an additional staff person, and my 2-day per week plan changed to coming full-time, 5 days each week. We’ve never looked back.”
In addition to Janzen, the branch has 2 full-time staff, as well as additional part-time help.
