Lang Michener LLP was a Canadian full-service national

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to ...

, once employing over 200 lawyers with offices in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. On January 1, 2011, Lang Michener and McMillan LLP combined, taking the name McMillan LLP.

History

Lang Michener dated back to 1926 in Toronto, Ontario, where future

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

Roland Michener Daniel Roland Michener (April 19, 1900 – August 6, 1991) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 20th since Canadian Confederation. Michener was born and educated in Alberta. In 1917 he se ...

and Daniel Lang formed the firm as Lang & Michener. That same year, in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

, the firm of Lawrence & Shaw was formed by partners James Lyle Lawrence and Alistair Shaw. The two firms merged in 1989 to become Lang Michener Lawrence & Shaw. The firm was later renamed Lang Michener LLP. The first Lang & Michener office was in the Canadian National Building at 347 Bay Street. It was one of the first

Bay Street Bay Street is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Canada's financial services industry since succeeding Montreal's St. James Stre ...

law firms in Canada. The firm played a leading role in Canada's political and legal landscape. Founding partner Roland Michener was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

John Diefenbaker John George Diefenbaker ( ; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an electio ...

and later Governor General of Canada by Prime Minister

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...

. Daniel Aiken Lang, son of firm founder Daniel Webster Lang, was appointed to the Canadian Senate also by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. The

Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth ...

Jean Chrétien practiced with Lang Michener from 1986 to 1990, and

Michel Bastarache J. E. Michel Bastarache (born 1947) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and retired puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada. Early life and education Born in Quebec City on June 10, 1947, Bastarache earned his Bachelor of Arts degree ...

, of the Ottawa office, was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1997. In later years, the firm's reputation as a leading Bay Street law firm had faded. In 2010, the firm ranked as the 22nd largest law firm in the country. The firm elected to merge with McMillan LLP in November 2010. Observers saw the merger as a sign of the difficult legal economy and an opportunity for the two firms to regain their lost clout. After the merger, the new McMillan became the 12th largest firm in Canada.

References

Defunct law firms of Canada Companies based in Toronto Law firms established in 1926 1926 establishments in Ontario Law firms disestablished in 2011 Canadian companies established in 1926 Canadian companies disestablished in 2011 {{canada-company-stub no:Lang