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 consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

, once employing over 200 lawyers with offices in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. On January 1, 2011, Lang Michener and

McMillan LLP McMillan LLP is a Canadian business law firm serving public, private and not-for-profit clients across various industries in North America and around the world. With offices in Canada's major centres – Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Mo ...

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 official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Roland Michener Daniel Roland Michener (April 19, 1900 – August 6, 1991) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the 20th governor general of Canada from 1967 to 1974. Michener was born and educated in Alberta. In 1917 he served briefl ...

and Daniel Lang formed the firm as Lang & Michener. By 1986 the firm, then formally known as Lang, Michener, Cranston, Farquharson & Wright, and numbering 82 lawyers, merged with the 27-lawyer Toronto firm Lash, Johnston, Sheard and Pringle, to form Lang Michener Lash Johnston. In 1989, the firm merged with the

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, firm of Lawrence & Shaw, that coincidentally had also been formed in 1926, by partners James Lyle Lawrence and Alistair Shaw. The firm became Lang Michener Lawrence & Shaw. It 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, Toronto, Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Economy of Canada, Canada's financial services indust ...

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 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

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 of Canada, Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 an ...

and later Governor General of Canada by Prime Minister

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He also served as Leader of the Liberal Party of C ...

. 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: The Rt Hon. or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire, and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

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