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regional wrap-up A distinguished woman A Saskatoon-based lawyer has become the first woman to win Saskatchewan's Distinguished Service Award. There have been more than 25 recipients since the Saskatchewan branch of the Canadian Bar Association first doled out the accolade in 1989, but they were all men until Christine Glazer, a partner at McKercher LLP, broke the testosterone streak. She says she's honoured to be recognized by her peers but feels many of her female colleagues are equally deserving of the recognition. Glazer says she believes she was selected for the award because of the work she has done challenging the no-fault insurance legislation passed by the provincial government in 1995 that limited the rights of motor vehicle accident victims to seek compensation through the civil justice system. More than a decade later, the province relented and introduced a choice system. — GK Thackray Burgess merging with McMillan C algary energy law boutique Thackray Burgess is merging with McMillan LLP, giving the business law firm an outlet in the Alberta market. Discussions of the merger began last summer, says McMillan partner John Clifford. The formal merger is expected to be completed by May 1 and the Calgary office will work under the McMillan banner. Clifford says McMillan, which has offices in Toronto and Montreal, was looking to expand into a city and practice areas in which it had no expertise so it made sense to hook up with an already established firm like Thackray Burgess. McMillan is strong in many areas of business law including banking and finance, commercial real estate, tax, and mergers and acquisi- tions, but has no real depth in the energy sector. "McMillan and Thackray Burgess were both of the view that there'll only be a handful of firms doing the best work" across the country and both wanted to be part of that group, says Michael Thackray, CEO of Thackray Burgess. Clifford says the move into the Calgary market is under- scored by the need to serve clients. "We have clients with busi- ness in Calgary and we needed a presence there. Calgary is a key commercial centre [in Canada] and to be a meaningful firm, we needed a presence." Thackray Burgess had been touted for its unusual structure, which included a small number of shareholders who worked with independent consultants rather than the traditional part- ner and associate configuration of most firms. Thackray says there will be some vestiges of that structure left but generally the Calgary office will move to a more convention- al structure with the shareholders becoming McMillan partners and the consultants morphing into associates. The structural change was a "collateral consequence of seizing an opportunity to have an infinitely better platform to do what we do nationally and internationally," he says. The change will affect MOVES AND SHAKES IS NOW ONLINE If you or anyone in your firm has made a move, won recent accolades, or done anything else noteworthy that should be shared with your colleagues across the country, let us know. E-mail your moves and shakes to moves@ clbmedia.ca. We'll be updating the web site daily, so keep your eyes on www.canadianlawyermag.com to see what your friends and colleagues are up to. 10 APRIL 2009 www. ntitled-2 1 mag.com 3/19/09 8:47:13 AM 30 lawyers, two students, and 25 support staff. Thackray will also sit on the firm's board of partners. Thackray says there has been a "complete endorsement by every- one junior to senior" of the merger and there's great excitement about moving forward. — GAIL J. COHEN gcohen@clbmedia.ca