Our History

The firm's roots reach back to James McRuer, distinguished counsel and later Chief Justice of Ontario, and author of a seminal report on civil liberties in Ontario; to Andrew Brewin, Q.C., who defended the rights of Japanese-Canadians before the Privy Council and was for many years NDP Member of Parliament in Toronto's east end; and on to Ian Scott, Q.C., for many years one of the leading appeal and administrative lawyers in the province and later Attorney-General of Ontario between 1985 and 1990.

Senior members of the firm J. Alick Ryder and John Brewin began their practice with the firm Cameron, Brewin, McCallum and Scott. In 1980 Cameron, Brewin and Scott merged with Gowling & Henderson. In 1989 Alick Ryder, David Wright and Pamela Chapman left Gowlings and, along with their former colleague Kevin Whitaker, former Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board and now a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, formed the firm that is today Ryder Wright Blair & Holmes LLP.