Firm says it was the first Canadian law firm to open an office in London
Stikeman Elliott LLP celebrated the 50th anniversary of its London, UK office, noting it was the first Canadian law firm to open an office there.
In a statement dated Sept. 3, Marc Barbeau, the firm’s chairman and former member of the London office, shared a brief history of that office and how it fit into the vision of the firm’s founders.
“In time, both recognized, long before anyone else, the need for Canadian lawyers to look beyond our borders,” Barbeau said.
According to Barbeau, in the 1930s, 20-year-old Heward Stikeman, who was in England at the time, was encouraged by Lord Reading to go back to Canada, study law, join the Department of National Revenue, and become a tax lawyer. Stikeman then partnered with Fraser Elliott to found Stikemans.
Over the past 50 years, the firm’s London office was led by 11 managing principals, with Dean Koumanakos as the current head. The office serves European and international clients with Canadian business and transactional law needs.
“Now, as we celebrate 50 successful years in London, our founders’ pioneering spirit remains as we continue with their vision to deliver ‘the best that is in us in the service of others’,” Barbeau said.
