About DWF

DWF Canada is a national litigation and insurance defence firm that began as Whitelaw Twining, founded in Vancouver in 1979 as a three-partner firm. It grew over more than four decades into a full-service litigation practice, and in December 2022 it became part of DWF Group, an international legal business, taking the DWF name. The Canadian practice kept expanding after that: a Montreal office opened in January 2025 through a partnership with an insurance and litigation team from Belanger Sauve, bringing the firm to four Canadian locations. DWF Canada now has 172 lawyers working across Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.

The Toronto office, at 123 Front Street West in the city's financial district, is one of the smaller of the firm's Canadian locations. Unlike the larger Vancouver office, it doesn't run a formal rotation program for articling students, a function of its size rather than its workload. Its lawyers work within DWF's litigation groups, covering areas such as bodily injury, construction, coverage, cyber liability, subrogation and recovery, and transportation, alongside broader commercial litigation and class actions. The Canadian team offers services in 18 languages, including French, Mandarin, Punjabi and Farsi, and the firm keeps a 24/7 emergency response line for urgent matters outside business hours.

Practice areas

Insurance Law Personal Injury Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution Construction Law Employment & Labour Law Class Actions Indigenous Law Bankruptcy & Insolvency Administrative & Regulatory Law Wills, Estates & Trusts Health Law Real Estate Law Business & Corporate Law Family Law

Milestones & recognition

  • Founded in Vancouver in 1979 as a three-partner litigation firm called Whitelaw Twining.
  • Became part of DWF Group, an international legal business, in December 2022 and adopted the DWF name.
  • Opened a Montreal office in January 2025 by joining forces with an insurance and litigation team from Belanger Sauve.

Good to know

A person using a wheelchairWheelchair accessibleA calendar with a checkmark beside a clockBy appointment

Lawyers 170

AJ Macaulay Insurance Law Adrienne Bramson Associate Construction LawInsurance Law Akash Bhardwaj Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionInsurance Law Alessia D'Aversa Associate Insurance Law Alex Schinkel Associate Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionConstruction Law Alexa Moretto Associate Construction LawInsurance Law Alexandre Maltas Partner Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionConstruction Law Alycia Nicoll Associate Personal InjuryEmployment & Labour Law Amalia Silberman Associate Aman Kang Associate Insurance LawConstruction Law Amy Ko Associate Insurance LawPersonal Injury Amélie Thériault Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionInsurance Law Andrew Epstein Litigation Counsel Personal InjuryClass Actions Annette Bronsch Associate Personal InjuryEmployment & Labour Law Aurora Allison Associate Personal Injury Ayse Gauthier Senior Lawyer Insurance Law Ben Flanagan Partner Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionInsurance Law Brett Layton Associate Insurance Law Brianna Vickers Insurance Law Brock Hengel Associate Personal InjuryInsurance Law Caitlenn Bull Associate Personal InjuryCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution Cameron Kennedy Associate Administrative & Regulatory LawConstruction Law Carolien Geiger Associate Personal InjuryConstruction Law Cerine Bariz Associate Insurance LawCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

This firm’s lawyers at a glance

Called to the bar
1980–2026 · median 7 years in practice 169 of 170 lawyers
Law schools
University of British Columbia (23), Thompson Rivers University (18), University of Calgary (18), University of Victoria (15), University of Ottawa (13), University of Alberta (6) and 38 more 170 of 170 lawyers
Languages on the roster
Cantonese, English, Farsi, French, Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi, Turkish

Who handles what

Offices 4

Vancouver604-682-5466

2400, 200 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4, Canada

Calgary403-775-2200

2600 - 150 9th Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 3H9, Canada

Toronto647-805-8470

800 - 123 Front Street West, Toronto, ON M5J 2Z1, Canada

Montreal514-470-1445

5 Place Ville Marie, Suite 900, Montreal, Quebec H3B 2G2, Canada

The neighbourhood

DWF's Toronto office sits in Citigroup Place at 123 Front Street West, a pair of 21 storey office towers completed in 1983 within the Union Station Heritage Conservation District in Toronto's financial core. That puts a litigation team handling insurance, coverage, construction and commercial disputes in the middle of the downtown business district, close to Union Station. The office is one of the smaller of DWF's four Canadian locations, and by the firm's own account it doesn't run the formal articling rotation that the larger Vancouver office offers, a difference of size rather than practice.

Legal support staff 2

Law clerks, paralegals and articling students at this firm. They are not licensed lawyers.

David Wallin Partner - Practice Group Chair - Mediator Personal InjuryInsurance Law Ryan Darby Partner - Mediator Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionConstruction Law

Frequently asked questions

Is DWF the same firm as Whitelaw Twining?
Yes. Whitelaw Twining, founded in Vancouver in 1979, became part of DWF Group in December 2022 and now operates in Canada under the DWF name.
What kind of legal work does DWF's Toronto office handle?
DWF's Canadian practice covers litigation areas including bodily injury, construction, coverage, cyber liability, subrogation and recovery, transportation, and broader commercial litigation and class actions.
Where is DWF's Toronto office located?
DWF's Toronto office is at 800, 123 Front Street West, in Citigroup Place in the city's financial district near Union Station.
What languages can DWF's Canadian team work in?
DWF lists services in 18 languages, including French, Mandarin, Punjabi, Farsi and Vietnamese, across its Canadian offices.
Can I reach DWF outside regular business hours for an urgent matter?
DWF maintains a 24/7 Emergency Response Team for clients who need urgent legal assistance outside office hours.
Does DWF's Toronto office take on articling students?
DWF hires students in Toronto, but because the office is smaller than Vancouver's, it doesn't run a formal rotation program there.

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Listing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of British Columbia directory ↗