Bennett Jones

Bennett Jones LLP is an international law firm based in Canada.

Bennett Jones LLP
HeadquartersCalgary and Toronto
No. of offices9
No. of attorneys400
No. of employees550
Major practice areasEnergy, Mining, Funds & Finance, Capital Projects
Date founded1922 (Calgary)
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websitewww.bennettjones.com

Firm

Bennett Jones is a Canadian business law firm with 400 lawyers and business advisors, including a former deputy prime minister of Canada, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and two former Canadian ambassadors to the United States of America.

The firm has five offices in Canada (Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton, Ottawa and Vancouver), one in the United States (New York, NY) (practising Canadian law only), and a representative office in China (Beijing).

Notable alumni and advisors
  • John Baird (Canadian politician) - Former Canadian politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Stephen Harper (2011–15)
  • R. B. Bennett – Founding partner and former Prime Minister of Canada (1930–35) [1]
  • David A. Dodge – Senior Advisor and former Governor of the Bank of Canada (2001–08) [2]
  • Allan Gotlieb, CC – Senior advisor and former Canadian ambassador to the United States of America (1981–89)[3]
  • Michael Kergin – Senior advisor and former Canadian ambassador to the United States of America (2000–05) [4]
  • John C. Major ("Jack") – Counsel and former Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada (1992–2005)[5][6]
  • Anne McLellan, PC, OC – Counsel, former Member of Parliament (1993–2006) and former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (2003–06)[7]
  • Henry Grattan Nolan, MC - Former Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada (1956–57)[8]
  • Christy Clark - senior advisor and former Premier of British Columbia (2011-2017)[9]

History

Bennett Jones was founded in Calgary in 1922 with the dissolution of a 25-year partnership between R.B. Bennett and Sir James Alexander Lougheed (Lougheed, Bennett & Company) and the creation of the new partnership Bennett, Hannah & Sanford.[1]

The firm expanded to Edmonton (1982) and then eastward to Toronto (1989) and Ottawa (1989–95, 2009). In 2010, the firm opened a representative office in Beijing. In 2018, the firm merged with Vancouver firm McCullough O'Connor Irwin and opened an office in New York.[10]

Significant cases

Dow Chemical Canada ULC v NOVA Chemicals Corporation

On June 20, 2018, Justice Barbara Romaine of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta awarded US$1.06 billion to Dow Chemical Canada ULC and an affiliate in an action for breach of contract against NOVA Chemicals Corporation. The dispute arose from the operation of an ethylene plant at Joffre, Alberta, jointly owned by Dow and NOVA.[11]

Orphan Well Association v. Grant Thornton

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that, after going bankrupt, an oil and gas company must fulfill provincial environmental obligations before repaying creditors.[12]

Sino-Forest v Muddy Waters, Carson Brock et al.

In 2012, Bennett Jones represented Sino-Forest Corporation in its lawsuit against Muddy Waters Research in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Sino-Forest claimed $4 billion in damages. The Statement of Claim accused Muddy Waters of publishing a research report that was "defamatory" and included allegations "made with a reckless regard for the truth." [13][14] However, on January 10, 2012, Sino-Forest announced that its historic financial statements and related audit reports should not be relied upon.[15]

Notes
  1. Batten, Jack (1997). A History of Bennett Jones Verchere. Bennett Jones Verchere. ISBN 0-9682994-0-7.
  2. "David Dodge Profile". bennettjones.com. Bennett Jones. March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  3. "Allan Gotlieb Profile". bennettjones.com. Bennett Jones. March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  4. "Michael Kergin Profile". bennettjones.com. Bennett Jones. March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  5. "Jack Major Profile". bennettjones.com. Bennett Jones. March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  6. "Supreme Court of Canada Profile for John C. Major". Supreme Court of Canada. September 30, 2009. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  7. "Anne McLellan Profile". bennettjones.com. Bennett Jones. March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  8. "Supreme Court of Canada Profile for Henry G. Nolan". Supreme Court of Canada. September 30, 2009. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  9. "Christy Clark | Governmental Affairs & Public Policy Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones Vancouver". www.bennettjones.com. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
  10. "Bennett Jones in Washington (Announced in 2013. Regulatory approvals complete in 2014.)". bennettjones.com. Bennett Jones. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  11. "Dow Chemical Canada ULC v NOVA Chemicals Corporation, 2018 ABQB 482 (CanLII)". www.canlii.org. The Canadian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  12. "Case in Brief: Orphan Well Association v. Grant Thornton Ltd". www.scc-csc.ca. Supreme Court of Canada. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  13. David Benoit (2012-03-30). "Sino-Forest Sues Muddy Waters for $4 Billion". The Wall Street Journal.
  14. "Statement of Claim - Sino-Forest v Muddy Waters" (PDF). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  15. "Settlement Agreement between Staff and David Horsley". www.osc.gov.on.ca. paragraph 12: Ontario Securities Commission. Retrieved 18 September 2016.CS1 maint: location (link)

Further reading
  • Saucier, J.J. (1982). The Bennett Firm: Revisited. Bennett Jones.
  • Batten, Jack (1997). A History of Bennett Jones Verchere. Bennett Jones Verchere. ISBN 0-9682994-0-7.
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