With offices in New York, Chicago, London, and Beijing, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP has deliberately planted its roots, and its lawyers, in markets where it can snag more business.

In 1998, with China emerging as a global economic powerhouse, Blakes resolved to get in on the ground floor. While the firm predicted a seven-year waiting period to secure a licence from the Chinese government for their Beijing office, the necessary permissions arrived in less than a year.

With a managing partner, three Chinese lawyers, one Canadian associate, and support staff, the Beijing team specializes in transactions for Canadian companies (as well as some U.S. and European) that want to do business in China, and Chinese companies or state-owned enterprises that want to invest in Canada.

Many other Canadian law firms set up shop internationally to assist Canadian companies in foreign transactions or to drum up business back home. While New York and London are popular outposts, Canadian law firms are found in less-likely locations all over the map. Gowlings has an office in Moscow; Stikeman Elliott in Sydney; and Faskens in Johannesburg.

Despite these exotic addresses, Canadian firms are still relatively small players on the global landscape. By contrast, London’s Linklaters LLP boasts 30 offices in 23 countries and New York’s White & Case LLP has 38 offices in 25 countries. These firms are not simply sending business back home: they are global players working on the largest international financing deals.

“If you are looking at international opportunities,” says Sumit Chakravorty, director of Marsden International, “you’ll get a very different skill set spending a few years at a magic circle or silver circle firm than spending time in an international office of a Canadian firm.”