Second Big Canadian Merger In Two Days Announced

The announcement comes just two days after Gowling Strathy & Henderson joined with Code Hunter to form the second largest law firm in Canada.

The latest merger between Fasken Campbell Godfrey and Martineau Walker which takes affect from February 2000, will create a 368-lawyer practice - renamed Fasken Martineau - with offices in London, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec.

A two-lawyer practice is also due to be opened in New York next week and the new firm is reportedly in talks with a Vancouver outfit which would give it a toehold on the west Coast.

The two firms have long enjoyed a close relationship having jointly operated a London office for 12 years and worked together informally in Canada.

Around 150 of the new firm's 368 lawyers will be in its large litigation department. Litigation lawyers will be expected to generate their own work in areas ranging from patent and estate law to the environment instead of just handling cases arising from corporate deals begun in other parts of the firm