Miller Thomson is built to provide the most comprehensive Canadian business and legal help. The scale of your project is never an issue. We help businesses of every size, entrepreneurs and individuals. We work with not-for-profit organizations as well as financial institutions and governments.
Our mastery of Canadian law is available to domestic and international clients alike.
We are close to 550 lawyers, deeply rooted in communities across Canada. Some would call that “mid-sized” but in truth, we are perfectly Canadian-sized, with 12 strategically placed offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Toronto, Vaughan, Markham and Montréal.
Our enthusiasm for Canada and Canadian law shows in everything we do.
History
Miller Thomson was founded on Canada’s 90th birthday – July 1, 1957 – by six lawyers who decided to leave an established large firm and embark on their own adventure. Today, their namesake has grown and evolved into one of the largest law firms in Canada. Through a series of mergers with other well-respected firms, Miller Thomson has expanded to 12 offices and close to 550 lawyers. We cover Canada better than any other national business law firm, with deep roots in the communities where we work and live.
1850s
1858 – W.H. Bowlby opens his practice on King Street, in what would become Kitchener-Waterloo (formerly known as Berlin).
1870s
1876 – Bowlby joins with Edwin Perry Clement and Frederick Colquhoun.
1890s
1895 – Balfour Moss opens in Regina.
1898 – Robert Lachlan McKinnon begins practicing in Guelph.
1900s
1902 – John M. Kearns founds a new firm in Arthur, Ontario.
1906 – Kearns moves his firm to Guelph.
1950s
1950 – Two Guelph firms forge a partnership to become Kearns McKinnon.
1951 – A. Hans Swinton and Douglas E. Andrews open Andrews & Swinton in Vancouver.
1952 – Pouliot Mercure opens in Montréal.
1953 – Cook Duke Cox opens in Edmonton.
1957 – Miller, Thomson, Hicks & Sedgewick opens in Toronto.
1980s
1981 – Miller Thomson creates a new office in Markham, Ontario.
1981 – Balfour Moss establishes a Saskatoon office.
1987 – Cook Duke Cox opens a new office in Calgary.
1990s
1990 – Kitchener-Waterloo’s two oldest law firms —Clement, Eastman, Dreger, Martin and Meunier and Sims, McKinnon, Varey, Griggs and Trafford — merge to create Sims, Clement and Eastman.
1992 – Merger with Kingsmill Jennings (Toronto)
1993 – Merger with Wheatley MacPherson (Toronto)
1999 – Merger with Cook Duke Cox (Edmonton and Calgary)
2000s
2000 – Merger with Sawers, Liswood, Hickman, Bullivant, Dolan, Watts (Toronto)
2000 – Merger with Swinton & Company (Vancouver and Whitehorse)
2001 – Merger with Roberts & Baker (Vancouver)
2002 – Merger with Sims Clement and Eastman (Kitchener-Waterloo)
2003 – Merger with Kearns McKinnon (Guelph)
2005 – Merger with Pouliot Mercure (Montréal)
2006 – Miller Thomson establishes its London, Ontario office.
2008 – Miller Thomson celebrates 150 years of history in the Region of Kitchener-Waterloo.
2011 – Merger with Balfour Moss (Regina and Saskatoon)
2013 – Miller Thomson celebrates 115 years of history in the Guelph community.
2015 – Miller Thomson celebrates 120 years of history in Saskatchewan.
2017 – Miller Thomson opens its 12th office in Vaughan, Ontario.