Gowling, Strathy & Henderson

This interview chronicles the expansion of Gowling, Strathy & Henderson from a primarily Ottawa-based firm into a multi-office operation across Ontario during the 1980s. Gordon Henderson describes the strategic decision to expand to Toronto around 1977-1979, driven by the need to service clients involved in foreign investment review (FIRA) who were establishing operations in the Toronto area, as well as changes in Federal Court practice that moved patent litigation away from Ottawa.

The firm’s growth involved multiple approaches: initially transferring Ottawa lawyers to Toronto, then acquiring Cameron, Brewin & Scott in 1983 to gain litigation expertise, purchasing Raif Engle’s firm for advertising law capabilities, and merging with Simmers, Harper & Jenkins in Kitchener-Cambridge. The most significant expansion came in 1989 with the merger of Strathy, Archibald & Seagram, creating a full-service firm with approximately 240 lawyers and 105 partners across five offices.

The interviews reveal the tension between boutique specialization and department store comprehensiveness, with partners Chris Paliare and Stephen Goudge advocating for the advantages of large firm resources in handling complex Charter cases and international work, particularly pioneering Soviet trade law. The firm deliberately remained within Ontario rather than expanding nationally, focusing on achieving “critical mass” and integration across offices while maintaining expertise in intellectual property, corporate law, litigation, and emerging areas like USSR-Canada trade relations.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.