Backgrounder

On March 1, 2000, the law firms of Howard Mackie of Calgary, McMaster Gervais of Montréal, Scott & Aylen of Ottawa, Borden & Elliot of Toronto and Ladner Downs of Vancouver merged to create a single national firm.

With more than 750 lawyers, intellectual property agents, and other professionals working in six major Canadian cities, Borden Ladner Gervais has developed a reputation as one of Canada's most respected national full-service firms. BLG, one of the largest law firms in Canada, offers fully bilingual legal and intellectual property services and represents a wide variety of regional, national and multinational companies as well as public institutions.

Founding Firms:

Howard Mackie
The Calgary law firm of Howard Mackie was founded in 1888 and was one of the largest in Western Canada. At the time of the merger, the firm employed 150 people including 66 professionals. Howard Mackie was closely associated with Calgary’s emergence as an international business centre, and was actively involved in local, national, and international corporate transactions generated by the city’s thriving business community.

McMaster Gervais
The Montréal, Quebec firm of McMaster Gervais was established in 1823. At the time of the merger, McMaster Gervais was the longest established law firm in Canada employing 280 people including 110 professionals. The fully bilingual firm was a result of a 1998 merger of McMaster Meighen and Mackenzie Gervais. Its history is interwoven with the industrial, maritime, financial, and economic development of Montréal and the rest of Canada. McMaster Gervais’ lawyers were instrumental during the formation of the Canadian railway system and in the growth of the country’s major transportation, finance, and trade industries.

Scott & Aylen
Scott & Aylen, a fully bilingual law firm in Ottawa, was founded in 1952 and a business association with Borden & Elliot in 1999. At the time of the merger, the firm employed 168 people including 62 professionals. The firm pioneered a multi-disciplinary partnership approach which brings lawyers, patent agents, and trademark agents together under one roof to provide a full spectrum of legal and intellectual property services to Canadian and international clients.

Borden & Elliot
The Toronto firm of Borden & Elliot was founded in 1936 by lawyers Henry Borden and Beverly V. Elliot. Over the next three decades, the firm experienced rapid expansion resulting in many name changes; however, the firm name was changed back to Borden & Elliot in 1973. At the time of the merger in March of 2000, Borden & Elliot employed 668 people including more than 230 professionals. The firm was one of Canada’s most prominent full-service law offices with one of the largest litigation practices in the country, and was a leader in a number of specialized practice areas. Click here for a detailed history of Borden & Elliot.

Ladner Downs
The Vancouver, British Columbia firm of Ladner Downs was founded in 1911. At the time of the merger, the firm employed 318 people including 110 professionals. Ladner Downs was involved in transactions and developments in every major sector of B.C.’s economy including forestry, mining, energy, transportation, technology, manufacturing, and commercial real estate.

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