West meets East
Calgary, October 4, 2011 – Macleod Dixon and Norton Rose OR announced today they will be joining forces as of January 1, 2012. The enlarged practice will become Norton Rose Canada, creating a world–leading practice in energy and mining law. With close to 700 lawyers based in Calgary, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Québec, Caracas and Bogotá, Norton Rose Canada will be ranked among the top 3 Canadian legal practices.
This merger will significantly increase Norton Rose Canada’s resources across its six key industry sectors in Canada and in particular in the energy and infrastructure and mining and commodities sectors. Norton Rose Canada will be among a small number of Canadian firms with a leading practice in each of the three main markets in Canada (Calgary, Toronto and Montréal).
John Coleman, Managing Partner of Norton Rose OR said:
“This is about creating a new Canadian powerhouse that can serve clients through its international platform. I believe this changes the legal landscape in Canada. We will have unmatched strength and reach in the mining and energy business in Canada and throughout the world including Latin America. This merger also bolsters our operations in Calgary making us the market leader in western Canada.”
Bill Tuer, Managing Partner of Macleod Dixon said:
“Our decision to merge was the result of a detailed strategic review. Joining Norton Rose Canada is a major global step in serving our clients through a broader and more sophisticated international practice. We have had offices in emerging markets for 20 years and investment is flowing into and out of Canada more than ever before. This merger will allow us to assist our clients in most of the important markets around the globe. We are very excited about joining Norton Rose Group, which has a strong cultural fit and values—something our clients appreciate.”
Peter M. Martyr, Group Chief Executive of Norton Rose Group said:
“This is another very exciting move for the Group and constitutes a significant step towards realizing our ambition of becoming one of the world’s leading providers of legal services. This merger delivers real strength in energy and mining in Canada, as well as in emerging markets such as Latin America and Central Asia.”
Norton Rose Group will be one of the five largest international legal practices by number of lawyers, with more than 2,900 lawyers in 43 offices throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, Canada, Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
John Coleman will continue as the Managing Partner of Norton Rose Canada and Bill Tuer, Managing Partner of Macleod Dixon, will join the Executive Committee of Norton Rose Canada. He will also join John Coleman and Michael Lang on the Executive Committee of the Group.
Macleod Dixon’s origins date back almost 100 years in Calgary, an important energy capital. The firm also has offices in Toronto, Caracas, Bogotá, Moscow and Almaty. It was the first Canadian law firm to open an office in Latin America in Caracas in 1997, where it is a top-ranked practice. Macleod Dixon also opened its first international office in Moscow in 1991, and in Kazakhstan in 1994. International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers honoured the firm with the Global Mining Law Firm of the Year award in 2010, and in 2011, it was awarded Law Firm of the Year by World National Oil Companies Congress. Year after year, Macleod Dixon has been top-ranked in energy, mining and natural resources.
A full media pack for reporters is located at www.nortonrose.com/groupmediapack.
For further information please contact:
Norton Rose OR
Peter Zvanitajs, Senior Advisor – Media Relations, Norton Rose OR (English Press)
416 216 1871; 416 553 5789
peter.zvanitajs@nortonrose.com
Joanne Lajeunesse, Director, Marketing (French press)
514 847 4723; 514 919 2880
joanne.lajeunesse@nortonrose.com
Macleod Dixon
Michelle Jacobson, Manager of Marketing and Business Development
403 267 8168
michelle.jacobson@macleoddixon.com
Notes for editors:
Norton Rose Group
Norton Rose Group is a leading international legal practice offering a full business law service to many of the world’s pre-eminent financial institutions and corporations from offices in Europe, Asia Pacific, Canada, Africa and the Middle East.
The Group’s lawyers share industry knowledge and sector expertise across borders to support clients anywhere in the world. The Group is strong in financial institutions; energy; infrastructure, mining and commodities; transport; technology and innovation; and pharmaceuticals and life sciences.
Norton Rose Group has more than 2600 lawyers operating from 40 offices in Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Athens, Bahrain, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Brussels, Calgary, Canberra, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dubai, Durban, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Melbourne, Milan, Montréal, Moscow, Munich, Ottawa, Paris, Perth, Piraeus, Prague, Québec, Rome, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and Warsaw; and from associate offices in Dar es Salaam, Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta.
Norton Rose Group comprises Norton Rose LLP, Norton Rose Australia, Norton Rose OR LLP, Norton Rose South Africa (incorporated as Deneys Reitz Inc), and their respective affiliates.