McMillan LLP

Last updated
McMillan LLP
Type Limited liability partnership
Industry Law
Founded Toronto, (1903)
Headquarters Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Hong Kong
Products Legal advice, Advocacy
Number of employees
1000+
Website www.mcmillan.ca

McMillan LLP is a Canadian business law firm serving public, private and not-for-profit clients across various industries in North America and around the world. McMillan LLP is the only national Canadian law firm with an office in Hong Kong, in addition to its offices across Canada in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal . The firm has industry groups in different sectors such as technology, energy, oil and gas, mining, construction and infrastructure, automotive, and transportation.  

Contents

Founding Firms

The firm was founded by Newton Rowell in 1903.  At this time, it consisted of three lawyers and was called Rowell, Reid and Wood. By 1910, the firm had more than doubled in size to seven lawyers, which it maintained until the mid-twenties. Gordon McMillan joined the firm in 1921 and practiced for over half of a century, bringing notable clients such as Monarch and BorgWarner.

In 1926, Rhodes Scholar Roland Michener and Osgoode Hall graduate Daniel Lang formed Lang Michener, another firm that would later merge with McMillan LLP. That same year, partners James Lyle Lawrence and Alistair Shaw formed Lawrence & Shaw in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Rowell accepted the appointment as Chief Justice of Ontario in 1936. After his departure, McMillan worked with junior partner Bill Binch to build and expand the firm. By 1945, it was called McMillan, Binch, Wilkinson and Berry.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Binch would drive from Toronto throughout the mid-west and Chicago to solicit work from mid-sized U.S. companies looking to expand into Canada. His pioneering work opened a north-south corridor between McMillan Binch and American businesses that, at the time, belied the trend in many Canadian firms to patch together national networks running east-west.  

Mergers

In 1989, Lang Michener merged with Lawrence & Shaw, becoming Lang Michener Lawrence & Shaw. The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien practiced with Lang Michener from 1986 to 1990, and Michel Bastarache was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1997.

In 2005, Toronto’s McMillan Binch LLP and Montréal’s Mendelsohn LLP  combined to form McMillan Binch Mendelsohn LLP. [1]

A few years later in 2009, McMillan LLP and Thackray Burgess joined forces to found McMillan's third office, based in Calgary.

In January 2011, McMillan LLP and Lang Michener LLP announced a merger, and began operating under McMillan LLP.

Leadership

In 2022, McMillan LLP announced a new, diverse leadership team and a strategic plan focused on growth, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). The team is led by CEO Tim Murphy, who is an established Canadian expert on infrastructure and public-private partnerships. Murphy is also a political figure known for his work as the former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Paul Martin.

McMillan LLP’s new leadership team also includes:

According to an article in Canadian Lawyer, McMillan follows a “four-pronged” approach to EDI:

In 2016, Murphy joined Mark Resnick and Richard Mahoney as a co-founder for McMillan Vantage Policy Group. McMillan Vantage is a national full-service public affairs consultancy — the only one of its kind anchored in a national law firm. As a sister firm embedded in McMillan LLP’s offices, Vantage services a wide range of Canadian and international clients:

Awards and accolades

2022

McMillan LLP was included on the Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law (ACWL) roster of external legal counsel. The firm joins a select group of global law firms that defend the international trade rights of developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs). McMillan LLP's International Trade Group supports WTO members in French and English. [3]

The ‘Best Lawyers in Canada’ publication listed 89 lawyers from McMillan as ‘Leaders’ and nine as ‘Ones to Watch’ in their respective fields. [4]

Canadian Lawyer magazine named Leila Rafi, firm partner in the Capital Markets & Securities and M&A Groups, as one of the “Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers” in the business category. [5]

2021

McMillan LLP members were selected by the Canadian Law Awards as winners of Lexpert’s Awards of Excellence for Top Deals in the Capital Markets and Insolvency & Restructuring categories. [6]

2020

McMillan announced that seven of the firm’s lawyers in McMillan’s Litigation Group were recognized for exceptional expertise in the 2020 Lexpert Special Edition on Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers. [7]

2019

McMillan LLP was named the Top Canadian Law Firm at the Annual Canadian Hedge Fund Awards for the third consecutive year. [8]

2018

McMillan was named a thought leader in the future for legal services for Lexology’s legal influencers in Q3. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton Rowell</span> Canadian politician

Newton Wesley Rowell, was a Canadian lawyer, politician, judge, and lay leader in the Methodist Church. Rowell led the Ontario Liberal Party from 1911 to 1917 and put forward a platform advocating temperance. Rowell's Liberals failed to oppose the Whitney government's passage of Regulation 17 which restricted the teaching of the French language in schools and alienated the province's French-Canadian minority.

Timothy John Murphy is a former Canadian politician and was the chief of staff of the Prime Minister's Office under Paul Martin's government. He is currently CEO of McMillan LLP.

Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (Gowlings) was a Canadian and international law firm, with about 700 legal professionals in 10 offices in Canada and as well as London, Moscow, and Beijing. The firm offered legal support in business law, advocacy/litigation and intellectual property law.

Goodmans LLP is a Canadian corporate law firm. First established in Toronto in 1917 by David Bertram Goodman, Goodmans LLP now has approximately 200 lawyers. The firm acts for Canada's largest corporations, financial institutions and multinationals, and was recognized two years in a row as the National Law Firm of the Year for Canada at the International Financial Law Review's Americas Awards. In September 2018, Goodmans was awarded the Americas Energy Tax Deal of the Year at the 13th annual Americas Tax Awards by International Tax Review in New York City.

J. E. Michel Bastarache is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and retired puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg</span> Law firm of Canada

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP is an integrated firm of more than two hundred and forty lawyers, with offices in Toronto, Montreal, and New York City. Davies focuses on business law, including commercial and financial matters. The firm acts for a wide range of industrial and commercial companies and financial institutions, both public and private, domestic and foreign. The firm's Mergers and Acquisitions practice include most industries and service sectors and representation in transactions of every size. Davies consistently ranks in the top 20 by Bloomberg's Global Merger and Acquisitions Advisory rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borden Ladner Gervais</span> Full-service law firm

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is a leading, full-service law firm in Canada. With two hundred years of history going back to the 1823 founding of McMaster Gervais, it now has offices in Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Calgary. With almost 900 lawyers, intellectual property agents and other professionals are associated with the firm. BLG is governed by a national council composed of partners from across Canada. Sean Weir served as the firm's first National Managing Partner until 2018, and was succeeded in the position by John Murphy of the Montreal office.

Sidley Austin LLP is an American multinational law firm with approximately 2,300 lawyers in 21 offices worldwide. It is one of the largest law firms in the world by revenue. It was established in 1866 and its headquarters is at One South Dearborn in Chicago's Loop. Among its notable alumni are Former President Barack Obama and Former First Lady Michelle Obama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiley Rein</span> American law firm

Wiley Rein LLP is one of the largest law firms in Washington, D.C., United States. With 240 lawyers, the firm represents clients in complex regulatory, litigation, and transactional matters. Many of the firm's lawyers and public policy advisors have held high-level positions in the White House, on Capitol Hill, and in federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the U.S. Department of Justice. The firm operates in industries including energy, manufacturing, defense, aerospace, intelligence, information technology, professional services, telecommunications, health care, architectural and engineering (A&E), and construction.

Gérald R. Tremblay, is a Canadian lawyer practising law in the province of Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Stohn</span> American-born Canadian lawyer and television producer

John Stephen Stohn, is an American-born Canadian entertainment lawyer and television producer. He is best known for his involvement with the Degrassi teen drama franchise, particularly as an executive producer on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Until 2018 he was the president of Epitome Pictures Inc., which he and his wife Linda Schuyler founded in 1992 and was sold to DHX Media in 2014. On June 7, 2019, he was installed as Chancellor of Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.

Lang Michener LLP was a Canadian full-service national law firm, once employing over 200 lawyers with offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Hong Kong. On January 1, 2011, Lang Michener and McMillan LLP combined, taking the name McMillan LLP.

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes) is an international corporate law firm with offices in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, New York City, and London.

Blank Rome is an Am Law 100 firm with 15 offices and more than 680 attorneys and principals who provide legal and advocacy services to clients in the United States and around the world.

The Seven Sisters refers to a historical collection of seven law firms with offices across Canada, the majority of which have head offices in Toronto, Ontario.

The Arbitration Roundtable of Toronto is made up of several litigators, academics, arbitrators, and mediators from the Greater Toronto Area. The group promotes arbitration as an alternative method of conflict resolution over litigation, especially in commercial suits. Members include commercial litigators from Toronto law firms including some of the Seven Sisters of Bay Street. Each member has experience and interest in promoting commercial Arbitration. The group dedicates its time to encouraging this form of Dispute resolution through seminars, papers, and talks.

Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP (TDS) is a Canadian, Manitoba-based law firm with its head office in Winnipeg. The firm has two full-time regional office in Brandon and Portage la Prairie and eight part-time satellite offices in Boissevain, Gladstone, MacGregor, Morden, Neepawa, Saskatoon, Steinbach, and Winkler.

Joseph Groia, is a Canadian lawyer specializing in securities litigation. He has been ranked as one of Canada's 500 Leading Lawyers (Lexpert) since 2000 and is consistently rated as one of Canada's top securities litigators by the same publication. He has worked on many of Canada's leading securities cases, including Asbestos Corp., Bre-X Minerals Ltd., Canadian Tire, Cinar Corporation, Hollinger, Torstar/Southam, Philip Services and YBM.

Holden Day Wilson LLP was a law firm in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. When it closed in 1996, it was the largest law firm failure in Canadian history.

Thomas G. Conway is a former Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

References

  1. ↑ Crosariol, Beppi (October 31, 2022). "McMillan Binch plans to merge with Mendelsohn". The Globe and Mail.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Tim Murphy, the new CEO at McMillan, on his firm's new strategic plan". www.canadianlawyermag.com. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  3. ↑ Caluz, Rui (2022-09-14). "Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law Selects Canada's McMillan LLP for Their List of External Counsel". McMillan LLP. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  4. ↑ "Best Lawyers List for Canada | Best Lawyers". www.bestlawyers.com. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  5. ↑ stephanieliu (2022-09-07). "Leila Rafi Named to the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers List". McMillan LLP. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  6. ↑ "Lexpert's 2021 Awards of Excellence For Top Deals". www.lexpert.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  7. ↑ freda (2020-11-27). "The 2020 Lexpert Special Edition on Canada's Leading Litigation Lawyers Recognizes Seven McMillan Professionals". McMillan LLP. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  8. ↑ "McMillan LLP Named Top Canadian Law Firm at Annual Canadian Hedge Fund Awards for Third Consecutive Year". McMillan LLP. 2019-10-24. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  9. ↑ "Hub - McMillan LLP". Lexology. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.