Aird & Berlis LLP
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aird & Berlis LLP | |
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| Type | Limited Liability Partnership |
| Founded | Toronto, 1919 |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Area served | International |
| Services | Legal advice and Advocacy |
| Website | http://www.airdberlis.com |
Aird & Berlis LLP — A&B for short, is a mid-size, full-service Canadian law firm. It is located in the heart of the Bay Street business district of Toronto. It's comprised of over 120 of Canada's most talented lawyers.
A&B has been rated one of the 30 largest law firms in Canada and one of Toronto's 20 largest law firms by The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory in their feature on The Largest Firms in Canada 2007.
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[edit] Areas of Expertise
The firm provides a wide range of legal services with descriptions available on the A&B website.
- Practice Groups include Corporate Finance, Corporate/Commercial, Financial Services (including Insolvency and Restructuring), Intellectual Property, Litigation, Municipal and Land Use Planning, Real Estate and Tax.
- Industry Teams include Energy, Entertainment (including Media, Sports and Communications), Environmental, Gaming, Infrastructure, Natural Resources, Technology and Transportation.
- Services also provided include Banking, Commercial Paper Liquidity, Estates and Trusts Litigation, First Nations, Insolvency and Restructuring, Intellectual Property, International Practice, International Tax, Investment Management and Registration, Labour and Employment, Licensing, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Business Services, Renewable Fuel, Tax Litigation, Venture Capital and Wealth Management and Succession Planning.
[edit] History
The history of Aird & Berlis LLP dates back to 1919 when its predecessor opened its doors for business. In 1974, the firms of Zimmerman, Grant, Hugo, Paddon, Worley & Bennett merged with Edison, Aird & Berlis to form Aird, Zimmerman & Berlis. The name was changed to Aird & Berlis circa 1978, and the LLP suffix was added later.
John Aird was appointed to the Senate of Canada in the 1960s and served as Ontario's 23rd lieutenant governor from 1980 to 1985. Doug Berlis was the gold medallist in his graduating year at law school. Together, they built a firm of people-focused, bright, technical lawyers and created an atmosphere of entrepreneurship and teamwork. This atmosphere continues to drive the firm's success today and into tomorrow.
[edit] Notable Members and Alumni
- John Black Aird, Co-founder
- Ontario's 23rd Lieutenant Governor [1]
- The Honourable Barbara McDougall, P.C., O.C., CFA, LL.D.
- Legal Advisor, Aird & Berlis LLP
- Former Minister, Canadian Parliament [2]
- David Miller (Canadian politician), Alumnus
- Current Mayor of Toronto
- Peter Sutherland
- Senior Business Advisor, Asia, Aird & Berlis LLP
- Former Canadian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and the Philippines[3] and former High Commissioner to India
[edit] Recognition
The firm has various lawyers represented in:
Best Lawyers in Canada 2008
Inclusion in Best Lawyers is regarded – by both the legal profession and the public – as the highest form of professional accolade. The publication recognized eleven A&B lawyers as leaders in the following areas of practice:
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(*) Lawyers who are listed for the first time in Best Lawyers.
Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business
In the 2008 edition of Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business A&B is once again recognized as one of the leading firms in Canada for Tax (Band 5). Two of its lawyers have also been recognized by the publication:
- Jack Bernstein (Band 4)
- Barbara Worndl (Band 5)
International Tax Review
Year-after-Year, A&B has been recognized as one of the leading Canadian firms in for international tax law by the ITR's World Tax directory.
Law Society of Upper Canada
Seven A&B Lawyers have been named Certified Specialists by the Law Society of Upper Canada
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The Lexpert American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada
The 2008 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada recognizes the following A&B lawyers as leaders in their respective practice areas:
- Leo F. Longo – Property Development
- N. Jane Pepino - Property Development
The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
A&B has long held a prominent place in The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, a comprehensive guide to the leading law firms and practitioners across Canada. A&B is "consistently recommended" as one of the leading firms in all aspects of property development and is "most frequently recommended" as one of the leading firms in land use planning / municipal law.
For 2007, the directory recognized the following ten lawyers as leading lawyers in their fields:
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Who’s Who Legal: The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers
The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers polls general counsel and practitioners in various practice areas worldwide each year. Aird & Berlis lawyer Jack Bernstein is repeatedly listed as a leading lawyer in Corporate Tax.
Women in the Lead / Femmes de Tête
Women in the Lead is a national directory of more than 550 women whose professional expertise and experience recommend them as candidates for corporate board appointment. The directory recommends the following A&B lawyers:
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[edit] Affiliation
Aird & Berlis LLP is the Toronto law firm representative of Interlaw, an international association of independent law firms. Interlaw’s members work together on a worldwide basis to provide quality, cost effective, value-added legal and business solutions.
[edit] Community Service and Sponsorships
Sponsorship of Canadian Athletes
- A&B was the first law firm to sponsor an Olympic athlete. A&B sponsored speed skater and Olympic gold medallist Clara Hughes during the 2005–2006 competitive season.
- Currently sponsoring heptathlete Jessica Zelinka in her run up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. More news and updates about Jessica Zelinka's progress can be found on Aird & Berlis LLP's Quest for Gold mini-site.
Community Service
Besides sitting on boards of a variety of charitable organizations, here are a few volunteer activities A&B lawyers also participate in:
- Sam Babe participated in the 2006 Tour for Kids, a four-day, 800 kilometre charitable bike ride that raises funds for camps for children with cancer.[4] In 2007, Sam participated in the Race Across America, helping to raise money and awareness the Sick Kids Hospital Foundation.
- Nick Torchetti awarded the Villa Charities "Heart and Hand" award in 2006 for embodying the true spirit of volunteerism.
- Bill VanderBurgh was granted the Arbor Award for his voluntary service to the University of Toronto.
- Jane Pepino received the Order of Canada for "lending her voice to those less fortunate or marginalized by society."
