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TOP PRAIRIE REGIONAL FIRMS SASKATCHEWAN MACPHERSON LESLIE & TYERMAN LLP (2) MLT.COM Total lawyers: 121 Offices: Regina, 40; Saskatoon, 40; Calgary, 23; Edmonton, 18 Core practice areas: Corporate-commercial, commercial litigation and class actions, labour and employment, tax, mining and natural resources Key clients: Harvard Developments Inc., Greystone Managed Investments Inc., Cameco Corp., AREVA Resources Canada Inc., The Mosaic Co., Saskatchewan Power Corp. Notable mandates: Successfully fended off a class action certification motion against Canadian National Railway over alleged overcharging for grain carriage; acted for Federated Co-operatives Ltd. in its $138-million acquisition of oil company Triwest Exploration Inc.; Saskatchewan counsel to Wal-Mart Canada Realty Inc. and SmartCentres Realty Inc. on the $200-million sale of shopping centres to Great-West Life Assurance Co. and London Life Insurance Co.; represented Northern Property REIT in $70-million purchase of Nunavut properties; advised Saskatchewan Power Corp. on its $1.24-billion Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage Demonstration Project. Star alumni: Chief Justice of Saskatchewan John Klebuc; former chief justice of Saskatchewan Donald MacPherson; Saskatchewan Court of Appeal justices Marjorie Gerwing, Georgina Jackson, and Robert Richards; former Saskatchewan attorney general Murdoch MacPherson; former Saskatchewan minister of health and minister of environment, John Nilson. Affiliations: Lex Mundi The firm: Founded in Regina by Murdoch Alexander MacPherson. Everett Leslie joined him in 1925 and David Tyerman in 1929, with the firm name becoming fixed in its present form in 1951. MLT expanded to Saskatoon in 1980, Calgary in 2002, and Edmonton in 2006 to meet client demand for legal support in Alberta. The firm has maintained a focus on practice areas that support business operations. Growth has been largely internal, through a strong student recruitment and mentorship program, supplemented by some key lateral hires. "Great talent in every column," said one in-house lawyer who gave the firm full marks. "Exceptional talent in issues affecting Prairie businesses." 1 MCKERCHER LLP (1) MCKERCHER.CA 2 36 Total lawyers: 56 Offices: Saskatoon, 39; Regina, 17 Core practice areas: Civil litigation, labour and employment, corporate-commercial, mining and natural resources, First Nations and aboriginal law Key clients: University of Saskatchewan, Wal-Mart Canada Corp., Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, Input Capital Corp., 49 North Resources Inc., Redhead Equipment Group Notable mandates: One of two negotiators for 50 Catholic entities parties to the Indian Residential School Settlement Class Action; lead counsel for Athabasca Potash Inc. during its IPO, and local counsel during its subsequent acquisition by BHP Billiton Canada Inc.; acted for Input Capital in a oneof-a-kind private placement of shares offering used to fund canola streaming contracts for farmers seeking capital; assisted Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP in the acquisition by the Great-West Life Insurance Co. of several shopping centres across Canada; involved in development of, and represents, Canadian Light Source Inc., the country's only national synchrotron research facility. Star alumni: Saskatchewan Attorney General Gordon Wyant; former Court of Queen's Bench chief justice R.D. Laing; Federal Court of Appeal Justice Denis Pelletier; former F e b r uary 2013 www.CANADIAN L a w ye r m a g . c o m Supreme Court of Canada justice Emmett Hall; former Saskatchewan Court of Appeal justice Percy Maguire; Casey Davis, president and CEO of Morris Industries Ltd. Affiliations: Lawyers Associated Worldwide, Risk Management Counsel of Canada The firm: McKercher dates back to 1926, when Emmett Hall relocated his practice to Saskatoon. With the appointment of Hall to the bench in 1957, the firm was renamed Maguire Wedge McKercher & McKercher, reflecting the addition of Donald and Robert McKercher, who continue to practise with the firm. In 1989, it merged with Regina's Whitmore & Co., solidifying its presence in the province's two major cities. The firm assumed its current name in 2008. "I have also used McKercher for my personal legal needs, based on the highly positive experience I have had in dealing with their counsel in matters related to my professional duties," said one voter impressed by the firm during a six-year professional relationship. "Their level of service continues to be outstanding." "Deep Saskatchewan roots" and "commitment to clients" are the secrets to the firm's success, according to executive partner Alan McIntyre. "Our lawyers are very conscious of the bottom line. There's a really clear understanding with clients about where things are going," he says.