One of 91原创鈥檚 most established law firms has merged with one of the largest independent law companies in the Lower Mainland.Cherrington Easingwood Kearl joined forces on Feb. 1 with Lindsey Kenney, making the Vancouver based law firm the only one with an  office in the Lower Mainland.Despite the merger 鈥渋t will be business as usual for the foreseeable future,鈥� John Cherrington said.Cherrington and Robert Kearl are the only two remaining lawyers in a business that was established almost 40 years ago in Fort 91原创. It now has five lawyers.Two lawyers, David Critchley and Don Nundal retired, and one, Henry (Hank) Easingwood died in August, 2009.His daughter, Erin Easingwood, is an associate lawyer at the firm. The other two are Tim Grier and Kieron Grady.The merger brings to 55 the number of Lindsey Kenney lawyers practising in the Lower Mainland. The firm has an office on West Georgia Street in Vancouver, and its 91原创 office is at 20033-64 Ave.Among the range of legal services provided are personal injury claims, general civil litigation, including real estate and construction disputes; insurance claims, product liability suits, nuisance and negligence claims, all aspects of conveyancing/mortgages, subdivisions/land development; corporate law and corporate re-organization, wills and estates, estate litigation, business purchases and sales, collections and foreclosures, product liability suits, builder鈥檚 lien actions, municipal law, unlawful dismissals and administrative law generally.  鈥淢any of our clients drive from Vancouver and Burnaby to our office in Fort 91原创, not to mention our White Rock, Chilliwack and Abbotsford clientele,鈥� Kearl said.鈥淥nce anyone comes to our office in Fort 91原创, the historic birthplace of British Columbia, they never leave, but if they do, they always come back,鈥� he added.鈥淭his is the kind of loyalty we have enjoyed over these many years.  Although we have merged with Lindsey Kenney, we will continue to provide this service to all of our clients as we have always done, right here in our office in Fort 91原创,鈥� Kearl said.In 2003, Kearl and Critchley won a landmark decision in the Supreme Court of Canada that involved Easingwood鈥檚 brother, Edward Joseph Easingwood, a White Rock family doctor who died in 1996 at the age of 46.Kearl and Critchley successfully argued that a life insurance company must pay a $250,000 accidental death benefit to the doctor鈥檚 former wife, the mother of his children.The coroner who examined Dr. Easingwood鈥檚 death ruled that he had died from an accidental overdose caused by an intravenous injection of Demerol. The dose found in his blood was 2.4 mg, which is at the low end of the range for lethal doses. The insurance company refused to pay, arguing that the policy was effective only if death was by 鈥渁ccidental means,鈥� a more limiting interpretation of 鈥渁ccidental death.鈥漈he B.C. Supreme Court dismissed the claim for coverage, but Kearl and Critchley won a 5-0 ruling in the B.C. Appeal Court, setting the stage for the appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.Kearl and Critchley took their case to the Supreme Court of Canada on Oct. 28, 2002, almost six years to the day of Dr. Easingwood鈥檚 death, arguing successfully that there is no distinction between 鈥渁ccidental means鈥� and 鈥渁ccidental results.鈥� Several Canadian courts had already ruled that they did not like the distinction.The appeal鈥檚 success was significant as it did away with that distinction.