(December 17 – 09:35 ET) – Another big merger of large Canadian law firms is in the works. Vancouver’s Russell & DuMoulin is merging with Fasken Martineau of Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City.
The newly-constituted Fasken Martineau DuMoulin will begin practice on February 1, 2000, with 499 lawyers and a staff of 1,300. This deal will create the second-largest firm in Canada. It comes close on the heels of last month’s merger of Fasken Campbell Godfrey and Martineau Walker. Both firms do a fair amount of work in the investment funds area.
Apart from creating a large firm, this deal gives both partners a national presence. “Being national is increasingly a prerequisite to becoming involved with the most significant transactions and issues in all areas of law,” says Michael Fitch, managing partner at Russell & DuMoulin.
Martineau Walker’s managing partner, Louis Bernier, says, “A significant presence on the West Coast was a priority of Fasken Martineau to ensure integrated services to our national and international clients.”
-IE Staff