Borden Ladner Gervais
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| No. of offices | 5 |
|---|---|
| No. of attorneys | 750+ |
| Major practice areas | General practice |
| Date founded | 2000 |
| Website | |
| blg.com | |
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (abbreviated as BLG) is the largest full-service Canadian law firm. The firm has over 750 lawyers, intellectual property agents and other professionals in offices in Calgary, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. BLG is governed by a national council composed of partners from across Canada. Sean Weir has been National Managing Partner of the firm since 2000.
In 2011 – for the fifth consecutive year – BLG was recognized as a “Go-To Law Firm” for Fortune 500 companies. The firm was also ranked number one in Canada for the number of lawyers (190) it had recognized in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada and had the most number of lawyers in Canada with a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating.
The firm also supports a variety of activities by providing pro bono legal services, fundraising and volunteer programs. In 2010, BLG was recognized by the 2010 Canadian Pro Bono Awards with the Canadian National Law Firm Award for contribution to the delivery of pro bono legal services across the country.
On March 1, 2000, the law firms of Howard Mackie of Calgary, McMaster Gervais of Montreal, Scott & Aylen of Ottawa, Borden & Elliot of Toronto and Ladner Downs of Vancouver merged to create BLG.
In July 2002, BLG strengthened its corporate securities practice with the acquisition of the Calgary-based law firm Armstrong Perkins Hudson LLP —the then-largest securities boutique in Western Canada.
In 2003, BLG added its sixth office when it was joined by the lawyers from Armstrong & Associates in Waterloo Region. The firm was a Waterloo Region intellectual property law boutique. Recently, in January 2008, the firm of Shortt Hanbridge Richardson and Welch joined the Waterloo Region office of BLG. By the end of 2014, BLG had closed its Waterloo office.
The Toronto firm Borden & Elliot was founded on January 20, 1936, by lawyers Henry Borden and Beverly Vallack Elliot. Henry, at the outbreak of WWII, was appointed to the War Supply Board in Ottawa and in 1942, was appointed chairman of the War Time Industries Control Board. Over the following three decades, the firm experienced rapid expansion resulting in many name changes. Eventually, the firm’s name was changed back to Borden & Elliot in 1973. At the time of the merger in 2000, Borden & Elliot employed 668 people including more than 230 professionals. It was a prominent full-service Canadian law firm and had one of the largest litigation practices in the country.
The Calgary law firm Howard, Mackie was founded in 1888 by William L. Bernard, QC, and was one of the largest in Western Canada. In 1993, led by Doug Mitchell, Howard, Mackie established the Howard, Mackie Awards (which were later renamed the BLG Awards). At the time of the merger, the firm employed 150 people, including 66 professionals.
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