In the fall of 1862, five years before Canada’s
Confederation, Britton Bath Osler began to practice law in the village of
Dundas, Upper Canada (now Ontario), just west of Toronto. He was 23,
entrepreneurial, and proved to be as good at business as he was at law.
Less than four years later, he opened a second office
in the larger centre of Hamilton.
The passing of another 10 years saw B.B. Osler start what became one of North
America’s first commuter railways (between Hamilton
and Dundas).
Around the same time, he was appointed as the province’s Crown Attorney. In
1882, he moved to Toronto,
the provincial capital, and formed a partnership with John Hoskin and several other
lawyers. This enterprise grew rapidly, becoming one of the top three law firms
in Canada
within a decade. Frederick Harcourt’s name was added to the firm in 1902.
Almost from the start, the firm’s clients included
many of the country’s largest companies and others that would grow to
leadership in key industries such as railways, banking and insurance, manufacturing
and resources. It also acted for
international companies seeking opportunities in Canada, giving the firm an
early and essential global perspective.
Then and now, the firm has attracted the best legal
minds: ambitious young barristers and solicitors as well as former Supreme
Court judges and prime ministers. It earned a reputation as the law firm to go
to with the most complex business law challenges, when success was essential to
the client’s future growth and prosperity.
After almost 150 years of growth, Osler continues to maintain its trusted advisor status with Canadian and international business leaders who are expanding, defending or transforming their businesses -- a vision that started last century with Britton Bath Osler.