Western Canada’s Law Firm

• Merger creates law firm with offices in Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver
• Merged firm provides “one-stop-shop” for clients throughout Western Canada
• Greater bench strength in core practice areas: corporate and commercial, litigation, labour and employment, securities, intellectual property and tax

REGINA and WINNIPEG, Sept. 21, 2016 /CNW/ – MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman LLP (MLT) and Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson LLP (Aikins) are pleased to announce their merger. Effective January 1, 2017, these two widely respected and distinguished law firms are joining together as MLT Aikins LLP (MLT Aikins), Western Canada’s Law Firm.

Don Wilson, Managing Partner of MLT and incoming Managing Partner of MLT Aikins said, “It is a natural move for us to join with Manitoba’s leading firm, Aikins, and together continue the expansive vision of building Western Canada’s Law Firm. The Western Canadian regional focus is consistent with clients’ increasing demand for more specialized legal services from those who fully understand their business in this market. Not only does this merger provide enhanced geographic scope for our clients throughout Western Canada, the highly talented and experienced group of lawyers at Aikins will add depth and breadth to our merged practices.”

“This is an exciting and historic step forward for our two firms that will enable the merged firm to better serve all our clients,” said David Filmon, incoming Chair of MLT Aikins. “As the world becomes smaller, this merger responds to an intensifying requirement from our clients to have access to a larger network of lawyers, offering specialized and in-depth expertise to meet their increasingly complex legal needs.”

Herb Peters, Managing Partner of Aikins added, “This merger is a logical next step in our firm’s evolution. MLT was a natural choice given that our cultures mesh well, the two firms are very like-minded in our approach to client service and this move dramatically increases our capacity to serve our clients.”

With more than 240 lawyers, MLT Aikins will have one of the largest teams of lawyers working in Western Canada and significant combined bench strength in each firm’s core practice areas: corporate and commercial, litigation, labour and employment, securities, intellectual property and tax. The combined firm will offer a wealth of in-depth knowledge of the region’s business, legal, and political landscapes, and full-service capability in the relevant sectors of the Western Canadian economy, including in the areas of transportation, science and technology, agribusiness, energy, mining, aboriginal law, banking, insurance, real estate, and infrastructure.

The merged firm will operate from offices in Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Together, MLT Aikins represents the unwavering commitment of the merging firms to Western Canada, its economic future, and to local, national and international clients doing business in Western Canada.

Established in 1879, Aikins is Manitoba’s largest full-service law firm with approximately 100 lawyers and extensive business law and litigation departments.

MLT is Saskatchewan’s largest full-service law firm with approximately 140 lawyers serving clients across Western Canada from offices in Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. MLT has been practicing in Western Canada since 1920.

SOURCE Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson LLP (Aikins)