Canadian Lawyer

LAWSON LUNDELL LLP (1) LAWSONLUNDELL.COM 1 Total Lawyers: 104 Lawyers by office: Vancouver, 95; Calgary, 6; Yellowknife, 3 Core practice areas: Business law (including mergers and real estate and development Key clients: BC Hydro; British Columbia Investment Management Corp.; Canfor Corp.; HSBC Group; Rio acquisitions and finance); banking; litigation and dispute resolution; natural resources and energy; commercial Tinto Group; Chevron Canada Ltd. Notable mandates: Acting for Fulcrum Capital Partners in its acquisition of HSBC Capital (Canada) Inc.'s mid-market mezzanine lending and private equity investment opera- tions; corporate counsel to Western Coal Corp. in its $3.3-billion acquisition by Walter Energy Inc.; advising Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. on environmental assess- ment and regulatory approvals for its Mary River Project in Nunavut; represents B2Gold in multiple projects in Namibia, Nicaragua, and Columbia Star alumni: B.C. Supreme Court justices Gordon Weatherill and Gregory Bowden; B.C. Provincial Court Judge Thomas Woods; the late chief judge of the B.C. Provincial Court Hugh Stansfield; the late B.C. Court of Appeal justices Hugh Legg and Reginald Gibbs Affiliations: World Services Group BULL HOUSSER & TUPPER LLP (4) BHT.COM Total lawyers: 97 Lawyers by office: Vancouver, 97 Core practice areas: Aboriginal law, infrastructure and public-private partnerships; maritime and ship- Robert Bauman; B.C. Supreme Court justices Victoria Gray, Elliott Myers, Mary-Ellen Boyd, and Jeanne Watchuk; the late Victoria Cross recipient building; natural resources; wealth preservation Key clients: London Drugs Ltd.; Seaspan Marine Corp.; Royal Bank of Canada; Rio Tinto Alcan; BC Lt.-Col. Cecil Merritt Affiliations: State Capital Group The firm: Founded in 1890, the firm takes pride in its Pavilion Corp.; TELUS Notable mandates: Acted for Seaspan in its successful bid for $8-billion worth of contracts under the federal government's National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy; counsel to the B.C. government in a mass-scale lawsuit against three tobacco manufac- turers to recover health-care costs associated with smoking; owners' counsel for the $2-billion P3 Canada Line Rapid Transit Project; represented BC Pavilion Corp. in its $800-million expansion of the Vancouver Convention Centre in time for the 2010 Olympic Games Star alumni: Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin; B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice 34 OCTO BER 2012 www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com work for individuals and organizations that have helped shape modern B.C. It was also the first Canadian law firm to set up shop in China. One voter singled out the firm for its long history, and a "number of major mandates plus an outstand- ing group of lawyers under 40 years of age, which will ensure the continuation of the firm's reputation." "There's a mini gold rush going on in B.C.," according to managing partner Simon Margolis, who says his firm is ready to cash in. "We've real- ized the key to success is excellence, particularly in areas that are important in this province. I think that sets us apart. . . . We've been around long enough to know the history, the background and the players." 2 The firm: In 1910, firm founder Jimmy Lawson was inti- mately involved in the industrial development of B.C. and became a specialist in company law. Oscar Lundell joined the firm in 1935, and in the 1940s and 1950s Lawson and Lundell were considered the leading law- yers to the B.C. forest industry and other resource developments. David Lawson and Buchan (Buck) McIntosh joined the firm in 1947. The firm opened an office in Yellowknife in 1994, and in 2002 merged with Yellowknife firm Gullberg Wiest MacPherson & Kay. The Calgary office opened in 1997, making it the only regional firm on the list with a presence in both Alberta and B.C. Client service and quality personnel featured strongly one. "Stands shoulder to shoulder with national firms." Lawson Lundell built its reputation on a strong pres- ence in the resource industries, according to manag- ing partner Brian Fulton, who says the firm has been enjoying the fruits of Canada's commodities boom over the last couple of years. "Our resource industry clients remain very active and we continue to assist them on a variety of large project development issues," he says. in voters comments on our No. 1 firm. "Deepest regional firm from a legal talent and client roster perspective, " said JaKoBradlgruBer / ShutterStocK.com

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