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MANITOBA 1 Aikins MacAulay & Thorvaldson LLP Total lawyers: 90 Office: Winnipeg Core practice areas: Securities, tax, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, labour and employment. Key clients: CMPA, True North Sports & Entertainment Ltd., Exchange Income Corp., Artis REIT, Wellington West, Manitoba Hydro. Notable mandates: Purchase by True North Sports & Entertainment of Atlanta Thrashers NHL franchise (Winnipeg Jets); Wellington West transfer to National Bank by way of plan of arrangement; acquisition of $2.8 billion of properties by Artis REIT since inception including equity raises; negotiation of a 27-year power purchase agreement and a $260-million loan transac- tion for Manitoba Hydro St. Joseph wind farm; acqui- sition by Exchange Income Corp. of Bearskin Airlines and Westower Communications. Star alumni: James Aikins, the first president of the Canadian Bar Association; former Supreme Court of Canada chief justice Brian Dickson; Supreme Court of Canada Justice Marshall Rothstein; Federal Court of Appeal Justice Eleanor Dawson; Saskatchewan Court of Appeal justices Martin Freedman, Barbara Hamilton, Marc Monnin, and Richard Chartier; Manitoba's Official Opposition leader Hugh McFadyen. Affiliations: World Services Group The firm: Founded by James Aikins in 1879, this firm is one of Canada's oldest. First clients included the Canadian Pacific Railway and Great-West Life. In 1914, the firm's Hugh Robson helped found the University of Manitoba's law school, Robson Hall. In 1969, Aikins merged with Thorvaldson and Co., led by senator G.S. Thorvaldson. The merger made Aikins the largest law firm between Toronto and Vancouver at that time. Today Aikins is one of Manitoba's largest and most diversi- fied law firms, and is consistently involved in files that shape the province. "Very strong employment and labour lawyers — especially Milt Christiansen and Shandra Czarnecki," said one in-house counsel who gave this firm top marks. "Overall great corporate commercial and litigation department as well. A very rich and deserving history." Fillmore Riley LLP Total lawyers: 58 Office: Winnipeg Core practice areas: Banking and finance, business law, insurance, litigation, real estate and commercial develop- ment, and tax and wealth management. Key clients: Royal Bank of Canada, Public Utilities Board of Manitoba, Richardson International Ltd., MacDon Industries Ltd., The Great-West Life Assurance Co., and lead Manitoba counsel for multiple major insurance com- panies. Notable mandates: Lead counsel for the sale of Custom House to Western Union, which involved a US$370-million cash transaction and required 25 regulatory approvals in seven countries; lead coun- sel to Winnipeg Commodity Exchange in respect to its demutualization and electronic conversion, and eventual sale (now ICE Futures Canada Inc.); member of the legal team that represented the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in its nego- 36 OCTO BER 2011 www. CANADIAN Lawyermag.com 2 tiations with Manitoba Hydro to develop a 223-megawatt hydroelectric generating station; successfully acted as lead counsel to the Great-West Life Assurance Co. in an appeal of a $32-million judgment in a class action by retired members of its pension plan. Star alumni: Retired Manitoba Court of Appeal justice Alan Philp; Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick of the Supreme Court of British Columbia; Steven Kroft, CEO of Conviron; Jean-Marc Ruest, vice president, corporate affairs and gen- eral counsel at Richardson International. Affiliations: TAGLaw The firm: Established in 1883 as Richards & Coutlee, the firm is now named after two long-time members of the Manitoba bar, W.P. Fillmore and H.J. Riley. Originally founded on the core practice areas of banking, financial, and insurance law, the firm has grown to full-service sta- tus, with expertise in areas of law relevant to its local and international client base. It boasts being the first law firm in North America to become ISO 9001 certified. "They are incredibly knowledgeable, service oriented, and practical," said one respondent, who added that the firm is "efficient and offers amazingly fast service." (www .aikins.com) (www .fillmoreriley .com)