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Donald J. Johnston,
Roy L. Heenan and
Peter M. Blaikie
decided to join forces. The firm of Johnston, Heenan, Blaikie opened
its doors in
Montreal.
From the outset, the firm experienced sustained and healthy
growth. It would soon be joined by a number of lawyers who were
destined for major roles in the worlds of law, politics and
business. One trend that became evident early on has endured over
the years: the team, built up gradually, has remained united and
continues to demonstrate exceptional stability. |
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Donald J.
Johnston
decided to
enter the political arena; this led the firm to adopt the name it
bears today.
Mr. Johnston became Member
of Parliament for Westmount and later held various posts in the
Trudeau cabinet, including President of the Treasury Board, and
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Canada.
He
returned to the firm in 1988 as an adviser and became president of
the Liberal Party of Canada in 1990. (CHRETIEN
was elected leader liberal party.
Mr.
Johnston left the firm again in 1996 upon his appointment as
secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), a position he has held since then.
( The years of the GPS SATELLITE)
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The year was marked by the
arrival of a recruit who would raise the firm’s profile
significantly. The Right Honourable
Pierre Elliott
Trudeau
joined us as counsel, remaining with us until his death in September
2000. |
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The firm
made its first foray outside Quebec when
Norman Bacal—now the
firm’s co-managing partner with Guy
Tremblay— left for Toronto
and set up a bridgehead there. At a time when alliances between
lawyers from different provinces were still very new, Heenan Blaikie
became one of the few firms with outposts in Canada’s two largest
cities.
Mr. Bacal drew talented lawyers who shared his passion for business
and law. The initiative succeeded: our Toronto office now has more
than 110 lawyers. |
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Development across Canada
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Peter A. Gall joined the
firm to establish our presence in
Vancouver. A few months later,
Arthur Evrensel left the
Montreal office to lend him a hand. Heenan Blaikie was the first to
become a truly “national” law firm.
With their joint efforts, Mr. Gall
and Mr. Evrensel succeeded in laying the foundations for a strong
team in Vancouver, which now has more than 25 lawyers.
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Thanks to the efforts of
André Roy,
now a Quebec Superior Court judge, we established a presence in
Trois-Rivières.
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Marcel Aubut,
a key business personality and emblematic figure in the world of
sports, announced that his law office, Aubut Chabot of
Quebec City, was joining
us to become Heenan Blaikie Aubut, an integral part of Heenan
Blaikie LLP. Since then, our clients have been able to rely on the
services of a number of well established lawyers in La Vieille
Capitale.
The same year,
Danielle Gauthier founded
our Sherbrooke office. She
was joined a year later by Hubert
Pépin, who was well known in the Sherbrooke area after
practising law there for 30 years. Together they quickly built up a
great team that is now over 20 lawyers strong. |
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Two new offices were created this year.
Following in the footsteps of their colleagues Bacal and Evrensel,
Guy Dufort and E. Joy Noonan left
the Montreal and Toronto offices, respectively, to establish a
presence in Ottawa.
We also set up an office in Kelowna, helping
extend the activities of our Vancouver office. |
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At the turn of the
millennium, it was
Calgary’s
turn to welcome a new Heenan Blaikie team. Guided by
Roderick A. Ferguson
and
John James,
and joined soon afterward by
Michael J. Black,
James Pasieka
and
E. Mitchell Shier,
we created an Alberta team that reflects the exceptional energy of
the province’s business culture. |
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The product of continuous change
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The firm’s
history is turning a new page. Early in 2004, the Right Honourable
Jean Chrétien,
standing in the footsteps of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, joined us as
counsel. Mr. Chrétien is following up on a prestigious political
career that lasted nearly 40 years, including 10 years as Prime
Minister of Canada.
Today Heenan Blaikie brings together around 800 people, including
more than 370 lawyers, in nine offices across Canada, driven by a
shared energy, passion for work, and commitment toward their
clients. |
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