Headquarters:
Edmonton, AB
Year founded:
1903
Number of employees:
287
Phone:
7804829200
Email:
mclennan@mross.com
Website:
mross.com
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/mclennanross
“As leaders, we inspire our team, valuing collaboration and spearheading change while sharing our knowledge to mentor the upcoming legal minds”
Oatley Vigmond
McLennan Ross
Steve Livingstone, KC
Partner
Joyce Mitchell, KC
Partner
Maurice Dransfeld
Partner
Leadership
Steve Livingstone focuses on insolvency and restructuring and has extensive experience in the areas of commercial litigation and construction law. As managing partner at McLennan Ross, he assists major banks, accounting firms, companies, receivers, monitors, purchasers, and creditors in managing corporate reorganization and the realization of assets. His broad civil litigation practice includes prosecuting and defending claims involving commercial contracts, securities, fiduciary duties, and trademark and copyright disputes. He handles commercial litigation, including major construction litigation, foreclosures, shareholder disputes, oppression actions, derivative actions, and energy industry litigation.
Partner
Steve Livingstone, KC
Leveraging 30 years of experience, Joyce Mitchell is a leading labour and employment lawyer, known to both clients and opposing counsel for being meticulous in preparation and fearless in execution. She is a fierce advocate, experienced investigator, and strong litigator with particular experience in class action proceedings, including the ongoing defence of Canada’s first class-action claim on the basis of alleged sexual harassment in the workplace. A guiding force within the firm, Mitchell is a member of McLennan Ross’ Executive Committee. She ensures the firm is well-positioned for the future by focusing on growth, talent development, and strategy.
Partner
Joyce Mitchell, KC
A member of the Executive Committee at McLennan Ross, Maurice Dransfeld not only knows the intricacies of labour and employment law, but also knows how to apply it to the real world of business. His extensive experience in management-side labour and employment issues includes wrongful dismissal, terminations, employment standards, privacy matters, and human rights, such as discrimination issues. He has appeared at all levels of court in Alberta and has experience in front of the Labour Relations Board, the Human Rights Tribunal, the Canadian Industrial Relations Board, as well as Employment Standards.
Partner
Maurice Dransfeld
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Howaida Nakhla
National Underwriting Manager
Howaida Nakhla brings over 48 years of experience in the insurance industry, with the last 38 years specialising in underwriting and managing engineering and casualty portfolios. Before joining MECON Insurance, she held senior underwriting management roles across Queensland and NSW.
Nakhla is renowned for her exceptional service ethic and deep passion for underwriting, earning her a strong reputation in the market. Her commitment to her clients and her expertise in managing complex portfolios make her a highly respected figure in the industry.
National Underwriting Manager
Howaida Nakhla
Blake Baxter
Head of Claims and Incident Response
Blake Baxter is an experienced insurance professional with over a decade of expertise spanning insurance, accounting, and the legal sector. A cyber insurance specialist, he has a strong background in building incident response and claims handling functions. He has worked extensively across financial lines claims, including professional indemnity, D&O and cyber and has also gained valuable experience in corporate insolvency, managing complex claims portfolios, liaising with defence counsel and brokers and refining claims handling policies.
Baxter joined Emergence Insurance in March 2020 to establish an in-house claims handling and incident response function. This strategic move has given Emergence a competitive edge, providing quicker and more efficient support to clients and helping them recover faster from cyber incidents.
Head of Claims and Incident Response
Blake Baxter
McLennan Ross has built a reputation as trusted advisors and creative strategists offering unparalleled client advocacy.
The firm’s greatest strength lies in its people. The legal team comprises Alberta and the North’s largest and most experienced management-side labour and employment practice, one of the West’s premier litigation teams, and a formidable corporate commercial group.
The firm’s lawyers have played a key role in landmark cases across all levels of the Canadian judicial system, including the Supreme Court of Canada, shaping the legal framework that governs today’s business landscape.
McLennan Ross serves leading corporations across nearly every sector, as well as government, public bodies, and not-for-profit organizations from the firm’s base in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Renowned for excellence in litigation, labour and employment, and corporate commercial law, the firm’s legal team has earned awards from directories such as the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Lexpert Rising Stars, Legal 500, Chambers Canada, and Who’s Who Legal, and recognition from Best Lawyers in Canada and Martindale-Hubbell.
Canadian Lawyer named McLennan Ross to its prestigious Top Western Firms of 2024–25 list.
The leaders at McLennan Ross have consistently driven the firm’s performance by guiding with vision and integrity, setting a powerful example that has defined the firm’s legacy for decades.
Founders Dave Ross, KC, and the late Rod McLennan, KC, established the firm on principles of hard work, a client-first mindset, and a commitment to avoiding hierarchy, ensuring every team member, regardless of their role, is part of one cohesive team.
This foundational philosophy continues under the firm’s leadership, driving success and growth. Managing partner Steve Livingstone, KC, exemplifies this leadership with more than 15 years serving on the firm’s executive committee.
“Our values of teamwork, continuous mentorship, and focus on skill development speak to our ability to stand out within the industry, and we hold steadfast to these values,” explains Livingstone. “We are a regional firm with lawyers that rival large law firms regarding the clients we support.”
McLennan Ross attributes its more recent growth to a combination of strategic initiatives that have at the forefront its dedication to client service and an exceptional workplace culture. In 2018, the firm relocated its Calgary office and expanded into additional space within just a few years to accommodate its growing team of lawyers and clients. Similarly, the Edmonton office is set to expand within the next year as the current space has reached near capacity.
The focus on hiring, formal and informal mentorship programs, and retention is key to the firm’s success. McLennan Ross actively seeks top talent from law schools, offering the tools and support needed for their success.
The firm’s dedication to excellence is reflected throughout its operations and includes:
“We’re committed to delivering the highest level of service, assuring clients that their welfare is the firm’s utmost priority”
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Nikil Deo
Head of Technology
Gerald Chan
Partner
Nader R. Hasan
Partner
Liane Brown
Partner
Nikil Deo is a seasoned technology professional with over 20 years of experience in the financial services sector, specialising in technology and cyber solutions. Throughout his career, he has witnessed and contributed to the transition from mainframe computing to today’s cloud ecosystem, alongside the evolving landscape of cyber risks. He has been part of several pioneering initiatives, including becoming the first APAC customer for Microsoft’s BPOS cloud offering and helping launch Australia’s first “pay as you drive” product.
Now with Emergence Insurance, Deo is excited to apply his extensive expertise to help deliver innovative cyber insurance solutions to the Australian market.
Head of Technology
Nikil Deo
Gerald Chan has been named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada (Canadian Lawyer, 2019), one of the Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada (Benchmark Litigation, 2023–24), White-Collar Crime/Enforcement Litigator of the Year (Benchmark Litigation, 2023), and Criminal Defence Lawyer of the Year, Toronto (Best Lawyers, 2024). He is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and a faculty member with the National Criminal Law Program.
Chan is a bencher of the Law Society of Ontario. He serves as vice chair of the Law Society Tribunal, Appeal Division, and a Trustee of the Law Foundation of Ontario.
Partner
Gerald Chan
Nader R. Hasan, a partner at Stockwoods LLP, practises criminal, regulatory, and constitutional law at both the trial and appellate levels. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, where he has taught courses on the law of evidence and currently teaches a seminar on criminal punishment from a US-Canada comparative perspective.
He is a co-author of Search and Seizure (Emond, 2021), Digital Privacy: Criminal, Civil and Regulatory Litigation (LexisNexis, 2018), and Sentencing, ninth edition (LexisNexis, 2017), and an author of numerous articles on criminal and constitutional law.
Partner
Nader R. Hasan
Liane Brown is committed to representing individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries and to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Her practice concentrates on personal injury law, including accident benefits, motor vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, occupiers’ liability, product liability and wrongful death cases.
Partner
Liane Brown
Liane Brown is committed to representing individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries and to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Her practice concentrates on personal injury law, including accident benefits, motor vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, occupiers’ liability, product liability and wrongful death cases.
Partner
Liane Brown
Ben Irantalab enjoys the complexities of personal injury litigation. His practice is exclusively devoted to representing clients with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and severe orthopedic injuries. For him, the cases that require special creativity and thinking outside the box are the most gratifying.
Partner
Ben Irantalab
“Our clients can expect advocacy, authenticity, and practical results,” Livingstone remarks. “We value a strong team work ethic and have built our long-standing reputation on giving effective, timely, and efficient service. Our mindset is to understand our clients’ needs and tailor our legal advice and services to meet their business goals.”
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“We will continue to strengthen our service proposition and customer experience as a key differentiator, as we build on the momentum we have achieved to date across multiple business lines and territories,” says McLean. “Our im is to continue to grow our market relevance and strengthen our partnerships with our strategic brokers as we expand our leadership position in key sectors.
“We will also continue to invest in talent. We are committed to drawing from the broadest pools of talent, and to creating an environment that attracts and retains stellar employees. We recognise the importance of building teams that are diverse, collaborative, and innovative and are dedicated to cultivating a supportive and inclusive workplace culture in which all our employees can thrive.”
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By partnering with FTA, businesses gain a trusted, reliable ally that’s fully committed to both their success and the protection of their clients.
unrivalled client focus, delivering creative and practical solutions to achieve the best outcomes
passion and drive, approaching every case with resolve while remaining genuine and approachable
commitment to making a difference to clients, the community, and each other
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Ben Irantalab
Partner
Ben Irantalab enjoys the complexities of personal injury litigation. His practice is exclusively devoted to representing clients with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and severe orthopedic injuries. For him, the cases that require special creativity and thinking outside the box are the most gratifying.
Partner
Ben Irantalab
Ben Irantalab
Partner
Ben Irantalab enjoys the complexities of personal injury litigation. His practice is exclusively devoted to representing clients with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and severe orthopedic injuries. For him, the cases that require special creativity and thinking outside the box are the most gratifying.
Partner
Ben Irantalab
Ben Irantalab
Partner
Liane Brown is committed to representing individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries and to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Her practice concentrates on personal injury law, including accident benefits, motor vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, occupiers’ liability, product liability and wrongful death cases.
Partner
Liane Brown
Medal
Construction
(mobile plant and machinery)
Management liability
Professional indemnity
Turnaround time – claims
BDM support
Broker communication, training and development
Overall service level
BDM support
BDM support
What FTA covers:
Professional indemnity (standalone and combined with general liability for white-collar professionals)
Information technology liability
Management liability
Design and construct liability
Public and products liability
Associations liability
Cyber insurance
Excess layers
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