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WeirFoulds LLP 5 Total Lawyers: 83 Office: Toronto Core Practice Areas: litigation; corporate; property development; government law Key Clients: public and private corporations, governments and government authorities and agencies, entrepreneurs, non-profit and public interest organizations and individuals Notable Mandates: co-counsel for 207 car dealers in a class pro- ceeding against General Motors of Canada and a Toronto law firm; represents the Newfoundland and Labrador government in all matters relating to AbitibiBowater Inc.; led the international legal team that successfully defended Canada's Newcon International Ltd. and two of its executives in a San Francisco court over fraud allegations; external counsel to the Regional Municipality of York, with particular emphasis recently on development of the Viva rapid transit system; represented Skyline International. 6 Blaney McMurtry LLP Development Inc. and its partners in the $48-million purchase of the luxury hotel Le Royal Meridien King Edward Star Alumni: a long list of Law Society of Upper Canada treasur- ers, including George Shepley, Gershom Mason, former Ontario Court of Appeal justice John Arnup, and Derry Millar; Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell and former Ontario chief justice George Gale also practised with the firm at one time Affiliations: none The Firm: Founded in 1860, this firm is one of Canada's oldest, last year marking the 150th anniversary from the time Theodore Spencer opened the practice from which the modern WeirFoulds has sprouted. Its stellar reputation has resulted from its ability to consistently act on some of the most noteworthy matters in the litigation, government, property, and corporate law spheres. One respondent who supported this firm described its lawyers as "pragmatic, responsive, efficient, and service-oriented." Managing partner Lisa Borsook says WeirFoulds relies on an entrepreneurial spirit when it comes to client development. "None of the lawyers here have started working at the firm think- ing, 'Well, we have this institutional client base, like the Bank of Montreal, and it's going to feed me work forever, and I'm never going to have to develop any clients of my own,'" she explains. Total Lawyers: 127 Office: Toronto Core Practice Areas: corporate-commercial; insurance; employment and labour; commer- cial real estate; commercial litigation Key Clients: Lombard Canada Ltd., Hydro One Networks Inc., TD Bank Financial Group, First National Financial LP, Calloway Real Estate Investment Trust Notable Mandates: counsel to Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta in rela- tion to a treaty land entitlement and other specific claims; The Hartford in the sale of its Canadian mutual fund business; Pyrotek Special Effects Inc. in the partial sale of equity interest in Cobalt Capital Inc.; Commonwealth Insurance Co. in class actions surrounding contaminated meat products Star Alumni: former Ontario chief justice Roy McMurtry; Ontario Superior Court Justice Janet Wilson; the late Tax Court of Canada justice Albert Brulé; the late Larry Grossman, former Ontario Progressive Conservative party leader Affiliations: TAGLaw, Risk Management Counsel of Canada The Firm: James Blaney, who continues to practise at Blaney McMurtry, founded this firm with Irwin Pasternak in 1954. In the early 1960s, they were joined by the late Bill McMurtry, who is largely credited for building the firm's first-rate litigation department. Further growth occurred in 1986, when the firm merged with Stapells & Sewell. Following a series of smaller mergers and lat- eral hires, the firm reverted back to its current moniker in 2000. "We feel that we, as a regional firm, have the ability to attract clients as well as good-quality legal talent where the national firm footprint and model are not adding value," says managing partner Michael Bennett. "We're able to be more focused on what we do, and how we practise, and it allows us to focus on what we do best in our own market." w w w . CANADIAN Lawyermag.com M AY 2011 41 (blaney .com) (weirfoulds.com) streetcar: steve Mann