Canadian Lawyer

34 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m STRONGER STRONGER THAN EVER Top firms in Western and Northern Canada exemplify a region filled with excitement and not afraid to flex its muscles. By Arshy Mann C anadian Lawyer returns to our survey of Western and Northern-based firms to find a region filled with excitement and not afraid to flex its muscles. Merger-mania is over and the regional firms left standing are stronger than ever. "I think there's been a seismic shift," says Richard Bereti, managing partner of Harper Grey LLP. Even two years ago, Toronto-based firms were poaching from Western outfits. Today, the regional firms have become the hunters. "We've actually had people from national firms come our way and certainly have not lost anyone," says Steve Livingstone, managing partner of McLennan Ross LLP. And the stronger economic winds are blowing in the West's favour. "I think that more and more strength and power is being focused on the West and that's driving investment," says Simon Margolis, managing partner of Bull Housser & Tupper LLP. For Alberta-based firms, a resurgent oil and gas sector driven by higher gas prices, a lower Canadian dollar, and the advent of oil-by-rail, has been a boon after a sputtering 2013. "Since probably the fourth quarter of 2013, activity level has really picked up," says Grant Zawalsky, managing partner of Burnet Duckworth & Palmer LLP. In British Columbia, the mining industry has begun to get warmer, with a long-expected surge in M&A activity finally starting to materialize. But it's an entirely new industry that is energizing the left coast — liquefied natural gas. Even though none of the LNG bids have been finalized, the nascent industry is churning out work for B.C. lawyers. "It's regulatory, First Nations, environmental," says Valerie Mann, managing partner of Lawson Lundell LLP. "It's all the upfront planning and permitting and negotiating type of work that various people here have been involved in." B.C.'s increasingly assertive First Nations are also growing the legal market. "In the last two years, there has been an increase in the amount of advice we give both to First Nations and non-First Nations about issues that pertain to fundamental issue of title and governance in British Columbia," says Keith Mitchell, managing partner of Farris Vaughan Wills & Murphy LLP. In the wake of the HOW WE DID IT Canadian Lawyer asked lawyers and in-house counsel from across Canada to vote on Western and Northern Canada's top regionally based full-service firms. They were asked to rank their top 10 firms from a preliminary list, with a chance to nominate a firm that was not included on the list. Respondents' rankings were based on firms' regional service coverage, client base, notable mandates, service excellence, and legal expertise. To be considered in the vote, firms were required to have offices primarily in the British Columbia, Alberta, and the territories, and offer a wide range of legal services. The final rankings were determined through a points system, in which firms were rewarded on a sliding scale for the number of first to 10th place votes received. TOP WESTERN & NORTHERN FIRMS

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