Gowlings
Encyclopedia
Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, Gowlings, is Canada's second largest full-service law firm, with over 750 professionals practising in 10 cities in Canada
, Russia
, China
and the United Kingdom
.
Gowlings' current Chair and Chief Executive Officer is R. Scott Jolliffe.
base, establishing offices in Toronto
, Kitchener
, and Moscow
. Starting in the mid-1990s, Gowlings methodically solidified a national platform through a succession of mergers with other law firms in Vancouver, Hamilton
, Calgary, Montréal
, Toronto
and Kanata
. In order to avoid certain complications created by the mergers, the firm officially adopted the simple brand name, "Gowlings" (which had long been in informal use).
firms are weighted predominantly towards Business
law, this is only one of the three pillars (and an area in which the firm is planning growth) which constitute the core of Gowlings' practice. The other two are Advocacy and Intellectual Property
law. Other notable strengths include technology, international trade, environmental, energy, financial services, government relations and administrative law.
The firm's various practices are broadly organized into eight Industry Groups: Energy; Financial Services; Government; Infrastructure; Life Sciences; Manufacturing and Distribution; Mining; and Technology.
and Henderson (after founders Gordon
Gowling and Gordon F. Henderson)
in Ottawa
1980 - Gowling and Henderson open a
Toronto office
1986 - Gowlings merges with Simmers,
Harper and Jenkins in Waterloo
1987 - Gowlings celebrates 100 years
1989 - Gowlings merges with the Toronto firm
Strathy, Archibald Seagram to form
Gowling, Strathy & Henderson
1992 - Gowlings opens an office in Moscow serving Russia, the CIS and the Baltic states
1994 - Gowlings opens an office in Vancouver
1995 - Gowlings opens its Hamilton office
2000 - Gowlings arrives in Calgary, merging
with Code Hunter.
2000 - Gowlings merges with Lafleur Brown of
Montréal, and Vancouver’s Montpellier
McKeen VarabioffTalbot and Giuffre to
become Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP.
2001 - Gowlings merges with Calgary-based
Ballem MacInnes LLP
2001 - Gowlings merges with Smith Lyons
LLP, enhancing IP and business law
capabilities, and positioning Gowlings
as the second largest law firm in Canada
2006 - Gowlings opens an office in Kanata
2008 - Gowlings establishes new corporate governance model with an Executive Committee and Board of Trustees
2008 - Gowlings opens an office in London, U.K.
2011 - Gowlings opens an office in Beijing, China.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Gowlings' current Chair and Chief Executive Officer is R. Scott Jolliffe.
History
Gowlings traces its origins to the firm Henderson & McVeity, which was founded in Ottawa in 1887. As the firm grew over the next century, its name passed through numerous permutations, but three figures remained dominant: Gordon Gowling, George and Gordon Henderson. In the 1980s, the firm expanded beyond its traditional OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
base, establishing offices in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
, and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Starting in the mid-1990s, Gowlings methodically solidified a national platform through a succession of mergers with other law firms in Vancouver, Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Calgary, Montréal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Kanata
Kanata
Kanata is an aboriginal word meaning "village" or "settlement."- Name of Canada :Until the mid-20th century, the Mohawk word "kanata" was thought to have been the origin of Canada's name...
. In order to avoid certain complications created by the mergers, the firm officially adopted the simple brand name, "Gowlings" (which had long been in informal use).
Practice areas
Proximity to government accounts for the diversity and non-transactional bias of Gowlings' legal specialties. While the practices of the so-called Seven SistersSeven Sisters (law firms)
The Seven Sisters refers to a collection of seven leading Canadian law firms with offices in Toronto. The term can be traced back to at least 2001, when it may have been coined by Sandra Rubin to describe the top seven Canadian law firms by mergers and acquisitions deal volume...
firms are weighted predominantly towards Business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
law, this is only one of the three pillars (and an area in which the firm is planning growth) which constitute the core of Gowlings' practice. The other two are Advocacy and Intellectual Property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
law. Other notable strengths include technology, international trade, environmental, energy, financial services, government relations and administrative law.
The firm's various practices are broadly organized into eight Industry Groups: Energy; Financial Services; Government; Infrastructure; Life Sciences; Manufacturing and Distribution; Mining; and Technology.
Gowlings milestones
1970 - The Firm assumes the name Gowlingand Henderson (after founders Gordon
Gowling and Gordon F. Henderson)
in Ottawa
1980 - Gowling and Henderson open a
Toronto office
1986 - Gowlings merges with Simmers,
Harper and Jenkins in Waterloo
1987 - Gowlings celebrates 100 years
1989 - Gowlings merges with the Toronto firm
Strathy, Archibald Seagram to form
Gowling, Strathy & Henderson
1992 - Gowlings opens an office in Moscow serving Russia, the CIS and the Baltic states
1994 - Gowlings opens an office in Vancouver
1995 - Gowlings opens its Hamilton office
2000 - Gowlings arrives in Calgary, merging
with Code Hunter.
2000 - Gowlings merges with Lafleur Brown of
Montréal, and Vancouver’s Montpellier
McKeen VarabioffTalbot and Giuffre to
become Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP.
2001 - Gowlings merges with Calgary-based
Ballem MacInnes LLP
2001 - Gowlings merges with Smith Lyons
LLP, enhancing IP and business law
capabilities, and positioning Gowlings
as the second largest law firm in Canada
2006 - Gowlings opens an office in Kanata
2008 - Gowlings establishes new corporate governance model with an Executive Committee and Board of Trustees
2008 - Gowlings opens an office in London, U.K.
2011 - Gowlings opens an office in Beijing, China.
Notable (past and present) members of the firm include
- Leonard Walter BrockingtonLeonard BrockingtonLeonard Walter Brockington, CMG, QC, LLD was a Canadian lawyer, civil servant, public figure, and the first head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ....
(1888–1966). Founding chairman of the CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, 1936-1939 - Gordon F. Henderson (1912–1993). President of the Canadian Bar AssociationCanadian Bar AssociationThe Canadian Bar Association represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada.-History:The Association's first Annual Meeting was held in Montreal in 1896. However, the CBA has been in continuous existence in its present form since 1914...
, 1979–1980; Chancellor of the University of OttawaUniversity of OttawaThe University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
, 1991-1993 - Roy McMurtryRoy McMurtryRoland "Roy" McMurtry, OC, OOnt is a judge and former politician in Ontario, Canada and the current Chancellor of York University.-Early life:McMurtry was born in Toronto and educated at St. Andrew's College, graduating in 1950...
(1932- ). Attorney-General of Ontario, 1975–1985 and Chief Justice of Ontario, 1996-2007 - Ray HnatyshynRay HnatyshynRamon John Hnatyshyn , commonly known as Ray Hnatyshyn, was a Canadian politician and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 24th since Canadian Confederation....
(1934–2002). 24th Governor-General of Canada, 1990-1995 - Ian Scott (1934–2006). Attorney-General of Ontario, 1985-1990
- Donald Mazankowski (1935- ). Deputy Prime Minister of CanadaDeputy Prime Minister of CanadaThe Deputy Prime Minister of Canada is an honorary position in the cabinet, conferred at the discretion of the prime minister. There is currently, , no deputy prime minister....
, 1986-1993 - Martin CauchonMartin CauchonMartin Cauchon, PC is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He is a former Liberal Cabinet Minister.Cauchon was born in La Malbaie, Quebec and studied law at the University of Ottawa and the University of Exeter...
(1962- ). Minister of Justice (Canada)Minister of Justice (Canada)The Minister of Justice is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Department of Justice and is also Attorney General of Canada .This cabinet position is usually reserved for someone with formal legal training...
and Attorney General of Canada, 2002–2003 ; Minister of National Revenue (Canada)Minister of National Revenue (Canada)The Minister of National Revenue is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency and the administration of taxation law and collection....
, 1999-2002 - Lawrence CannonLawrence CannonLawrence Cannon, PC is a Canadian politician from Quebec and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former Quebec lieutenant. On October 30, 2008 he was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs...
(1947- ). Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations section of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada....
, 2006-2008 and Stephen HarperStephen HarperStephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
's former Quebec lieutenantQuebec lieutenantIn Canadian politics, a Quebec lieutenant is a politician, from Quebec, usually a francophone and most often a Member of Parliament or at least a current or former candidate for Parliament, who is selected by a senior politician such as the Prime Minister or the leader of a national federal party,...