McCarthy Tétrault


McCarthy Tétrault LLP is a leading Canadian law firm that delivers integrated business law, litigation services, tax law, real property law, labour and employment law nationally and globally through offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, London, as well as New York City.
It has the second strongest law firm brand in Canada according to the 2018 Acritas survey.
The firm represents Canadian and international clients, including major public institutions, financial services organizations, mining companies, manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and other corporations.
McCarthy Tétrault’s London office specializes in assisting clients with their transatlantic transactions, and is staffed with both English and Canadian-qualified lawyers. A charter member of the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce, it provides services in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

History

McCarthy Tétrault was created through the merger of several firms: McCarthy & McCarthy of Toronto, Clarkson Tétrault of Montreal, Shrum Liddle & Hebenton of Vancouver, and Black & Company of Calgary.
This merger was initially denied by the Law Society of Alberta, which enacted rules designed to stop it. The rules prohibited members from entering into a partnership with anyone who was not a resident of Alberta, and prohibited members from being partners of more than one firm. This rule was challenged as being contrary to the mobility rights protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
In the resulting court case, Black v. Law Society of Alberta, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the rules. The subsequent merger made McCarthy Tétrault Canada's first national law firm.

Notable alumni

In a widely covered lawsuit in 2010, a McCarthy Tétrault lawyer sued the firm for gender discrimination. The case, Diane LaCalamita v. McCarthy Tetrault, was eventually settled out of court following concerns that details regarding the firm's finances and compensation structure would be made public.