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McInnes Cooper Total Lawyers: 201 Lawyers by Office: New Brunswick, 62; Nova Scotia, 100; Prince Edward Island, 14; Newfoundland and Labrador, 25 Core Practice Areas: energy and natural resources; business law; litigation; employment and labour; tax; real estate Key Clients: Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd.; Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc.; St. John's International Air- port Authority; Beaverbrook Art Gallery; New Brunswick High- way Corp. Notable Mandates: assisted Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in a joint venture partnership with the province of Nova Scotia to manufacture wind turbines; helped the Beaver- brook Art Gallery in Fredericton, N.B., win a five-year dispute over 133 works of art valued at approximately $100 million; pro- vided legal support for the growth of cranberry farms in New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and P.E.I. Star Alumni: Nova Scotia Court of Appeal justices Peter M.S. Bryson and Linda L. Oland; Fred Dickson, senator; Frank J. Mc- Kenna, deputy chairman, Toronto-Dominion Bank and former premier of New Brunswick; Stewart McInnes, former MP for Halifax and minister of Supply and Services and Public Works; former Nova Scotia appeal court justice A. Gordon Cooper Affiliations: Lex Mundi The Firm: The product of nine mergers, the firm marked its 150th anniversary in 2009. Founded in 1859, McInnes Cooper has sup- 2 ported clients through nearly every major event in Atlantic Can- ada's history. It acted for the White Star Line in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. When the French munitions ship Mont Blanc ex- ploded in Halifax Harbour in 1917, McInnes Cooper was retained to represent its owners. It represented Mitsubishi, the builder of the Ocean Ranger when it capsized off the coast of Newfoundland in 1982. When Nova Scotia Power was privatized in 1993, the firm handled part of the legal work in what was at the time, the largest IPO in Canadian history. Through strategic alliances and partner- ships with firms in Charlottetown, Fredericton, and St. John's, the firm expanded its mandate to serve clients region-wide. In 2000, with the opening of the Saint John office, McInnes Cooper gained a presence in every major Atlantic Canada centre. "We are built on the concept of one region one firm," says managing partner Bernard F. Miller. "In Atlantic Can- ada with four provinces and a diversified business sector, it is very important not only to recognize that diversity but to focus the firm on one thing — a relentless focus on client service." Growth in the natural resources sector, energy in particular, is creating new opportunities, he adds. "We have a fairly broad spectrum of clients but we are strategic decision-makers, that we have seen in the future in the small- and medium-sized business sector that is currently very strong in Atlantic Canada. Atlantic Canada has been built on family businesses that became bigger over time." Cox & Palmer Total Lawyers: 181 Lawyers By Office: Halifax, 62; St. John's 40; New Brunswick: Fredericton, 26; Moncton, 16; Saint John, 21; P.E.I.: Alberton, 1; Charlottetown, 10; Montague, 2; Summerside, 3 Core Practice Areas: corporate-commercial; financial ser- vices; banking and insolvency; insurance; labour and employ- ment; litigation Key Clients: Bell Aliant; Aviva Canada Inc.; Canadian Med- ical Protective Association; Husky Oil Operations Ltd.; Bank of Nova Scotia; Loblaw Companies Ltd. Notable Mandates: counsel to Hydro-Québec on the pro- posed acquisition of N.B. Power; regulator, government, and partner approvals and commercial arrangements with respect to the expansion of the White Rose offshore Newfoundland and Labrador oil and gas project; counsel to Bell Aliant with respect to the structural reorganization from an income trust to a cor- porate entity Star Alumni: William Cox, former president, Canadian Bar Association; John C. Crosbie, lieutenant-governor of New- foundland and Labrador; Ian M. MacKeigan, former chief jus- tice of Nova Scotia; Clyde Wells, former premier of Newfound- land and Labrador; M. Douglas Young, former federal cabinet minister Affiliations: World Services Group; Risk Management Coun- sel of Canada The Firm: Cox & Palmer was formed in January 2007 as the result of a merger between Cox Hanson O'Reilly Matheson and Patterson Palmer. The merger created one of the largest full- service firms in the Atlantic region with roots tracing back over 100 years. With nine offices, Cox & Palmer services local, na- tional, and international clients including a significant franco- phone client base. CEO Daniel Gallivan says the market is becoming increas- ingly sophisticated. "We are finding that there is no shortage of career challenges. It's also a smaller market so there is increased familiarity as you can end up working on transactions with the same number of people, which makes it nice." He says the firm has an uncompromising commitment to service, includ- ing conducting client interviews to see if it is meeting client ex- pectations. He says the firm invests a lot of time in its work culture, which is why it is recognized as one of the best places to work in Atlantic Canada. "One of the barometers of success is our recruitment. We have hundreds and hundreds of applications each year for a handful of positions. And that tells me we are doing something right." www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com OC T O BER 2010 37 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com OC T O BER 2010 37 (mcinnescooper .com) (coxandpalmerlaw .com)