Canadian Lawyer

MCINNES COOPER Total lawyers: 201 Lawyers by office: Halifax: 110; St John's: 27; Fredericton: 20; Moncton: 18; Charlottetown: 10; Summerside, P.E.I.: 8 Core practice areas: Energy and natural resources; business law; litigation; management-side employment and pension services; tax law Key clients: Confidential Notable mandates: One of the largest class action wins in Canadian history, securing $900 million for disabled veterans who had had their disability pensions clawed back; Supreme Court of Canada win ensuring client could maintain anonymity while pursuing prosecution in a Facebook cyber-bullying case Star alumni: Nova Scotia Court of Appeal judge Peter Bryson; New Brunswick provincial court judge Marco Cloutier; Court of Appeal of New Brunswick justice Richard Bell; New Brunswick provincial court judge John Friel; Toronto-Dominion Bank deputy chairman Frank McKenna; senator Fred Dickson; Nova Scotia Supreme Court justice Linda Oland Affiliations: Lex Mundi The firm: Founded in 1859 by Jonathan McCully and Hiram Blanchard, McInnes Cooper expanded its mandate through strategic alliances and partnerships with firms in Charlottetown, Fredericton, and St. John's, to serve clients region-wide. In 1997, partners Bernie Miller and Eric LeDrew opened the Moncton office, with local lawyer Robert Radford. In 2000, with the opening of the St. John office, McInnes Cooper gained a presence in every major Atlantic Canadian centre. One of McInnes Cooper's clients voted for the firm on the basis of "the quality of their lawyers and the fact that they have offices in most major maritime centres." Others mentioned "bench strength" and flexible billing systems. Managing partner Miller said: "We have increasing opportunities to deliver legal services in ways that better match our clients' definitions of value. Our size, location, resources, and experience all strengthen our ability to offer alternative fee arrangements, new types of services, geographical reach, and diverse teams." STEWART MCKELVEY* STEWARTMCKELVEY.COM Total lawyers: 229 Lawyers by office: Charlottetown: 29; Fredericton: 16; Halifax: 103; Moncton: 17; Saint John: 30; St John's: 34 Core practice areas: Civil litigation; commercial litigation; corporate-commercial; labour and employment; tax Key clients: Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers; Design Building Solutions Ltd.; Strait Regional School Board; Michelin North America (Canada) Inc.; Emera Inc; Empire Co. Ltd. Notable mandates: Legal adviser to Empire Co. Ltd., the operator of Sobeys, in its $5.7-billion acquisition of Safeway Inc.'s assets in Canada; representing CACE, Canada's largest counsel of management-side labour and employment lawyers, as an intervenor in the Wal-Mart statutory freeze case scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada in December; successfully represented Design Building Solutions Ltd., Harbourstone Enhanced Care Ltd., and Anglican Diocesan Centre Corp. regarding a builder's lien; represented the successful party in an arbitration award in a million-dollar dispute over a fibre exchange agreement Star alumni: Tax Court of Canada Associate Chief Justice Eugene Rossiter; John MacDonell, former chief of staff to minister of Defence; Robert Dexter, chairman, Empire Co. Ltd.; Nova Scotia Court of Appeal Chief Justice Michael MacDonald Affiliations: ALFA International The firm: In 1990, Stewart McKelvey became Atlantic Canada's first fully regional law firm with the consolidation of four prominent firms, some dating as far back as Confederation. The firm highlights its reputation for understanding clients' business goals and objectives. PhOTO COURTESY Of vALE MARTIN BERGERON MCINNESCOOPER.COM *Stewart McKelvey chose not to participate in the 2013 survey process. Information compiled from previous surveys and publicly available sources. www.CANADIAN L a w ye r m a g . c o m OctOber 2013 35

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