Whitelaw Twining (WT), a full-service insurance litigation firm, has announced plans to establish its fourth Canadian location by integrating the insurance and civil litigation team of Bélanger Sauvé in Montreal. The newly formed WT Montreal LLP will begin operations on January 1, 2025, joining WT’s offices in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto.
The expansion is part of WT’s strategic plan to create a comprehensive national insurance services network, according to a news release. Since December 2022, WT has operated as part of the DWF Group, a global provider of integrated legal and business services.
The integration will combine the strengths of two entrenched teams, enhancing WT’s expertise in insurance law and litigation while also granting the Montreal team access to DWF’s claims management and adjusting services. These resources, anchored in DWF’s North American operations in Toronto, Vancouver, and Chicago, aim to bolster service delivery for complex insurance cases.
The Montreal team includes 16 lawyers, nine of whom are partners, along with 12 business support staff. With this addition, WT will grow to 35 partners and more than 275 professionals across its offices.
Danny Shugarman, country managing partner for WT, expressed enthusiasm about the move. “We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues in Montreal,” he said. “This move will further build our expertise and strengthen our resources to support clients nationally and internationally. Our combined offering will be even better equipped to address the demands of our insurance clients, in handling claims, risk management, coverage disputes and litigation.”
Alexandre Paris, who will serve as managing partner of WT Montreal LLP, emphasized the benefits for local clients. “By combining with WT, we will be able to offer our clients a wider range of services, handle larger and more complex cases and provide support across more locations,” Paris stated. “It also represents a great opportunity for growth as we seek to build on our success by tapping into DWF’s global presence to further strengthen our relationships in the Canadian domestic market, the North American market, as well as the Lloyd’s market.”
Paris also highlighted the cultural alignment between the two teams. “It will allow our team to remain firmly committed to its roots in Montreal, continuing to provide the personalised service our clients have come to expect, while also creating the opportunity for us to deliver that support at scale,” he added.
The Montreal integration follows a recent announcement by DWF regarding its expansion into the London market through the recruitment of a team from Australian law firm Hall & Wilcox.
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