Drew Hasselback: ‘Prairie attitude’ is key force behind creation of Western Canada’s largest regional law firm

WINNIPEG – Bigger does not always mean national.
Aikins MacAulay & Thorvaldson LLP, a firm with deep roots in Manitoba, is about to tie the knot with Saskatchewan-based MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman LLP to create Western Canada’s largest regional law firm.
At the heart of the merger, which takes effect Jan. 1, is a belief that both firms have a shared culture that will serve as the glue that will bind MLT’s 140 lawyers and Aikins’ 100 lawyers into a unified team. The firm will have offices here, in a building that overlooks Winnipeg’s legendary — and yes, very windy — intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street, and stretching westward with offices in Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
“We looked at our similar, long-standing histories and roots in both of our communities. We both have a Prairie attitude,” says David Filmon of Aikins, who will chair the new firm MLT Aikins. “ …