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McCarthy Tétrault

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McCarthy Tétrault LLP
HeadquartersToronto, Ontario, Canada
No. of offices7
Date founded1855
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websitemccarthy.ca

McCarthy Tétrault LLP is a Canadian law firm with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, London and New York City.[1] The firm advises on areas including business law, litigation, tax law, real property law, and labour and employment law. It is commonly listed among Canada's Seven Sisters law firms.[2]

History

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The firm's origins are traced to Boulton & McCarthy, a law firm established in Barrie, Ontario, in 1855 by D'Arcy Boulton and D'Alton McCarthy Sr.[3] McCarthy's son, D'Alton McCarthy Jr., articled at the firm and was called to the bar in 1859.[4] In 1869, the McCarthys left the partnership and established their own firm.[3]

D'Alton McCarthy Jr. later became active in federal politics. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1876 and became a prominent lawyer in election-related litigation.[3] In 1877, after opening a Toronto office, the firm became McCarthy, Hoskin, Plumb and Creelman.[3][5]

In 1882, Britton Bath Osler joined the partnership, and the firm was renamed McCarthy, Osler, Hoskin & Creelman. Osler's arrival was connected with legal work for the Canadian North-West Land Company, the real estate arm of the Canadian Pacific Railway.[6] The firm was later renamed McCarthy, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt after Frederick Harcourt's name was added to the partnership.[7]

In 1916, the firm split into two practices. D'Alton Lally McCarthy, Leighton McCarthy and Frank McCarthy formed McCarthy & McCarthy, while other partners continued as Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt.

McCarthy Tétrault was formed in 1990 through the merger of McCarthy & McCarthy of Toronto, Clarkson Tétrault of Montréal, Shrum Liddle & Hebenton of Vancouver, and Black & Company of Calgary.[8] The Alberta aspect of the merger was affected by rules of the Law Society of Alberta that restricted partnerships with lawyers outside the province and membership in more than one firm. In Black v. Law Society of Alberta, the Supreme Court of Canada found those restrictions inconsistent with mobility rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.[9] The decision helped clear the way for national law-firm partnerships in Canada.[10]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "Offices". McCarthy Tétrault. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  2. ^ "Canada: Editor's notes". The Legal 500. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d Kulisek, Larry L. "McCARTHY, D'ALTON". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. University of Toronto/Université Laval. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  4. ^ "D'Alton McCarthy fonds". Law Society of Ontario. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  5. ^ Moore, Christopher (1997). The Law Society of Upper Canada and Ontario's Lawyers. University of Toronto Press. p. 154. ISBN 0-8020-4127-2.
  6. ^ Marchildon, Gregory (2001). "Corporate Lawyers and the Second Industrial Revolution in Canada". Saskatchewan Law Review. 64 (1): 106.
  7. ^ Brown, E. B. (May 1928). "Retirement of Mr. Harcourt, the Official Guardian (Ontario)". Canadian Bar Review. 6 (5): 383–385.
  8. ^ "Introduction to McCarthy Tétrault" (PDF). Christopher Moore. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Black v. Law Society of Alberta". Supreme Court of Canada Judgments. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  10. ^ Backhouse, Constance. "Understanding Grootboom: A Response to Cass Sunstein" (PDF). Constitutional Forum. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
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