Our specialty in management labour and employment law has been developed over several decades. We trace our origin to Ferguson, Montgomery, Cassels and Mitchell, a full service firm established in 1953, whose strong presence in labour law emerged in the early days of this area of expertise. The founding partners of the original firm included Justices George S. P. Ferguson and Robert S. Montgomery. By the 1970s, the firm had several lawyers practising exclusively in labour and employment law. In 1982, the labour department of Cassels, Mitchell, Somers, Dutton & Winkler (as the firm was then known) founded Winkler, Filion & Wakely and established a firm dedicated exclusively to the practice of labour and employment law on behalf of management.
When the Honourable Mr. Justice Winkler was appointed to the bench in 1993, our name changed to Filion, Wakely & Thorup. We opened an office in London, Ontario at that time to enhance our service to clients in Southwestern Ontario. In 2001, the firm name became Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP in recognition of the contributions made to the firm by Frank Angeletti, a partner in our London office. In 2007, Justice Winkler was appointed Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Since 1982, the firm's practice has been restricted to the representation of management/employers in all areas of labour relations and employment law. Focusing our practice in this manner has allowed us to develop expertise and knowledge in every aspect of the field. This experience and expertise assists us in developing innovative approaches to the resolution of workplace problems and service issues. Depth of experience is one of our greatest strengths. Our commitment to excellence over decades of service to business, government and industry has earned us a reputation as one of the country's leading management labour and employment law firms.