John Coleman, the managing partner of Norton Rose in CanadaFred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Norton Rose, a global firm based in London that came onto Canada's legal scene by merging with Ogilvy Renault in 2010, is now this country's top legal brand, according to a survey by a London-based legal marketing firm. But the results suggest the firm still has a way to go before it conquers Bay Street.
The surprising national rankings released Thursday put Norton Rose Canada LLP ahead of more-established rivals such as second-ranked McCarthy Tétrault LLP, third-ranked Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, and Stikeman Elliott LLP at fourth.
The consulting firm Acritas says it asked 245 general counsel at Canadian companies which law firms "first come to mind," which ones "they most favour," and which they consider for "top level" mergers-and-acquisitions, "bet the company" litigation and "high value work". The firm also asked 55 general counsel outside Canada which Canadian firms they were most likely to use.
The results, plotted onto a 100-point scale, gave Norton Rose 100 points. The firm, which merged with Calgary-based Macleod Dixon last year and will officially merge with U.S.-based Fulbright & Jaworski in June to become Norton Rose Fulbright, is already one of the world's largest.
Norton Rose clearly has a strong presence in Calgary and in Montreal. But the survey does not suggest that Norton Rose has conquered Bay Street's so-called Seven Sisters group of firms, by any means. The Acritas report says that looking only at the results for "the finance-driven Ontario province," Norton Rose's dominance vanishes. Torys LLP tops those rankings, Acritas says, with Norton Rose "noticeably absent from the upper-most ranks."
Norton Rose Canada's managing partner, John Coleman praised the overall results in an e-mailed statement: "We are very proud of this achievement. It demonstrates how seriously our lawyers take our commitment to client service. The results also show how our global platform, and our client-centric approach as a firm, are delivering results."
Many legal industry observers suggested that Norton Rose would not be the only international firm to make an aggressive move into the Canadian market. And they were right. Last month, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP – which ranked 10th on the Acritas survey – officially merged with two other international firms to form a global firm now known as Dentons LLP, after a deal announced last November.
Elizabeth Duffy, the U.S. vice-president of Acritas, said the survey shows Canada's legal industry is changing, as it is worldwide, with newly aggressive law firms challenging old established ones and possibly more mergers on the horizon.
Canadian law firms, Ms. Duffy said, "have got to decide, 'Are we going to suit up and get attractive and find the right merger partner to get a global platform, or are we going to concentrate on being premium here?'"
(Jeff Gray is a Globe and Mail Law Reporter.)
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