# McMillan LLP

McMillan LLP is a Canadian business law firm serving public, private and not-for-profit clients across various industries in North America and around the world. With offices in Canada's major centres – Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal. McMillan provides exceptional industry insights in transportation, technology, infrastructure and construction, and natural resources and energy. Whether it's a cross-border transaction, a complicated private equity deal, complex real estate financing, or a bet-the-company lawsuit or regulatory dispute, McMillan has the expertise leaders need to grow and succeed in the Canadian market or internationally.

## Founding Firms

The firm was founded by Newton Rowell in 1903. At this time, it consisted of three lawyers and was called Rowell, Reid and Wood. By 1910, the firm had more than doubled in size to seven lawyers, which it maintained until the mid-twenties. Gordon McMillan joined the firm in 1921 and practiced for over half of a century, bringing notable clients such as Monarch and BorgWarner.
In 1926, Rhodes Scholar Roland Michener and Osgoode Hall graduate Daniel Lang formed Lang Michener, another firm that would later merge with McMillan LLP. That same year, partners James Lyle Lawrence and Alistair Shaw formed Lawrence & Shaw in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Rowell accepted the appointment as Chief Justice of Ontario in 1936. After his departure, McMillan worked with junior partner Bill Binch to build and expand the firm. By 1945, it was called McMillan, Binch, Wilkinson and Berry.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Binch would drive from Toronto throughout the mid-west and Chicago to solicit work from mid-sized U.S. companies looking to expand into Canada. His pioneering work opened a north–south corridor between McMillan Binch and American businesses that, at the time, belied the trend in many Canadian firms to patch together national networks running east–west.

## Mergers

In 1989, Lang Michener merged with Lawrence & Shaw, becoming Lang Michener Lawrence & Shaw. The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien practiced with Lang Michener from 1986 to 1990, and Michel Bastarache was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1997.
In 2005, Toronto’s McMillan Binch LLP and Montréal’s Mendelsohn LLP combined to form McMillan Binch Mendelsohn LLP.
A few years later in 2009, McMillan LLP and Thackray Burgess joined forces to found McMillan's third office, based in Calgary.
In January 2011, McMillan LLP and Lang Michener LLP announced a merger, and began operating under McMillan LLP.

## Leadership

In 2022, McMillan LLP introduced a new, diverse leadership team alongside a strategic plan centered on growth, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). The firm was led by CEO Tim Murphy until 2024, a recognized Canadian expert in infrastructure and public-private partnerships (P3s). Murphy is also known for his political contributions, having served as Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Paul Martin.
In 2024, Bruce Chapple was appointed as CEO and Managing Partner, succeeding Tim Murphy effective July 1, 2024.
McMillan LLP’s leadership team also includes:
* John Clifford, Partner, Chief Operating Officer
* Paul Davis, Partner, Chair of the Board of Partners
* Brett Stewart, Partner, Chair of the Risk Management & Finance Committee
* Tushara Weerasooriya, Partner, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee
According to an article in Canadian Lawyer, McMillan follows a “four-pronged” approach to EDI:
* A diverse leadership team
* Improving awareness of the problem
* Creating policies and programs
* Implementing change
In 2016, Murphy joined Mark Resnick and Richard Mahoney as a co-founder for McMillan Vantage Policy Group. McMillan Vantage is a national full-service public affairs consultancy — the only one of its kind anchored in a national law firm. As a sister firm embedded in McMillan LLP’s offices, Vantage services a wide range of Canadian and international clients:
* Government relations counsel
* Policy and regulatory analysis
* Crisis communications
* ESG and corporate purpose
* Strategic communications services to the public, private and non-profit sectors.

## Awards and accolades

2023
In 2023, McMillan LLP was recognized as one of only two law firms selected for Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2024, a prestigious national award presented by Mediacorp Inc. and announced in The Globe and Mail.
Established in 1999, Canada’s Top 100 Employers honors organizations that set industry-leading workplace standards. The 2024 winners were selected based on their commitment to three key pillars:
* Innovative workplace practices
* Anticipating and addressing employee needs
* Investing in future skills development
McMillan was recognized for its inclusive HR policies and progressive workplace culture, including:
* Comprehensive support programs for working parents
* A strong commitment to diversity and inclusion
* Career advancement opportunities for women, with 71% of the firm’s managerial roles held by women
These initiatives reflect McMillan’s broader strategy to cultivate a supportive and engaging work environment, which has played a key role in attracting and retaining top legal talent.
2022
McMillan LLP was included on the Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law (ACWL) roster of external legal counsel. The firm joins a select group of global law firms that defend the international trade rights of developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs). McMillan LLP's International Trade Group supports WTO members in French and English.
The ‘Best Lawyers in Canada’ publication listed 89 lawyers from McMillan as ‘Leaders’ and nine as ‘Ones to Watch’ in their respective fields.
Canadian Lawyer magazine named Leila Rafi, firm partner in the Capital Markets & Securities and M&A Groups, as one of the “Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers” in the business category.
2021
McMillan LLP members were selected by the Canadian Law Awards as winners of Lexpert’s Awards of Excellence for Top Deals in the Capital Markets and Insolvency & Restructuring categories.
2020
McMillan announced that seven of the firm’s lawyers in McMillan’s Litigation Group were recognized for exceptional expertise in the 2020 Lexpert Special Edition on Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers.
2019
McMillan LLP was named the Top Canadian Law Firm at the Annual Canadian Hedge Fund Awards for the third consecutive year.
2018
McMillan was named a thought leader in the future for legal services for Lexology’s legal influencers in Q3.