TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 23, 2008) - The Globe and Mail's Report on Business magazine announced today that Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP ranked as number 36 on its 2009 - 50 Best Employers in Canada list. This recognition is especially meaningful for Gowlings because so few law firms have been ranked as one of the Best Employers.

According to Neil Crawford, Hewitt Associates' leader of the Best Employers in Canada study, it is unusual for a first-time participant, like Gowlings, to be distinguished as one of the Best Employers. "Many organizations try several times before they make the list. Gowlings is clearly doing the right things to engage the people they need to achieve success".

The Best Employers in Canada study is conducted by global human resources consulting and outsourcing company Hewitt Associates. Employees are asked to complete a detailed survey which determines engagement - their level of commitment to their employer, a key ingredient for success. The average employee engagement score at this year's 50 Best Employers is 76 per cent, 22 percentage points higher than the average of other participants in the study.

"Given the economic situation we face today, fostering a great place to work can be a challenge for many organizations. We have an incredible team of passionate employees who develop and maintain a high performance work culture. The survey results are a wonderful validation by our employees, that our collaborative efforts to create excellence are paying off" said Scott Jolliffe, Chair and CEO, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP. "Over 75 per cent of Gowlings' employees participated in the survey, which confirmed the results of a third party survey conducted earlier, indicating that over 90 per cent of employees enjoy the work they do and are proud to work at Gowlings" confirmed Jolliffe.

Gowlings Lafleur Henderson is a leading Canadian law firm with offices across Canada, specializing in business law, advocacy and intellectual property. The firm employs over 2,000 people nation wide across Canada. Over 700 of this total are legal professionals, and 33 percent of all employees have been with the firm for over 10 years.

About Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

Gowlings is a leading Canadian law firm, with offices across Canada, in Moscow and now in London, offering a diverse range of services to assist Canadian and international organizations in achieving their business objectives. Recognized for excellence in business law, advocacy, and intellectual property, Gowlings provides dedicated industry expertise in the resource, infrastructure, life sciences, government, financial services, technology and manufacturing sectors. The Firm combines traditional legal services with innovative solutions in a number of highly specialized areas of law and business. For more information about Gowlings, please visit www.gowlings.com.

About Hewitt and Associates

For more than 65 years, Hewitt Associates (NYSE:HEW) has provided clients with best-in-class human resources consulting and outsourcing services. Hewitt consults with more than 3,000 large and mid-size companies around the globe to develop and implement HR business strategies covering retirement, financial and health management; compensation and total rewards; and performance, talent and change management. As a market leader in benefits administration, Hewitt delivers health care and retirement programs to millions of participants and retirees, on behalf of more than 300 organizations worldwide. In addition, more than 30 clients rely on Hewitt to provide a broader range of human resources business process outsourcing services to nearly a million client employees. Located in 33 countries, including Canadian offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Regina, Hewitt employs approximately 23,000 associates. For more information, please visit www.hewitt.com.

Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

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