Richter LLP

Richter LLP is a Montreal-headquartered Canadian professional-services firm that developed from an accounting practice into a diversified advisory business. The firm was established in 1926 by Cecil Usher and William Richter under the name Richter, Usher & Co. Its original business centered on accounting, but Richter subsequently expanded into insolvency work, financial restructuring, consulting, business valuation, and wealth-management services. The firm has offices in Montreal and Toronto, as well as a financial restructuring division in Chicago. Its service model combines traditional accounting and assurance capabilities with specialized advice for companies, creditors, owners, investors, and affluent families. This places Richter in the Canadian accounting and business-advisory sector while also giving it a distinct family-office presence. A notable early milestone came in 1962, when Richter became the first independent accounting firm in Canada to sign a prospectus for a public offering. The event reflected the firm's expanding role in corporate finance and capital-markets-related professional services. Richter later joined RSM International, remaining part of that network for a decade before leaving in 2013. In 1999, the firm established the Richter Family Office to provide wealth-management services to high-net-worth individuals. The family-office business broadened Richter's client base beyond operating companies and formalized a long-term advisory offering for families managing substantial assets, ownership interests, and succession issues. The firm has described its family-office platform as serving multiple families rather than operating solely as a single-family office. By 2016, Richter was identified as the ninth-largest accounting-services firm in Canada and as the country's largest multi-family office. These descriptions indicate the scale reached by its combined accounting, advisory, restructuring, and private-client operations, although Richter remains a privately held professional-services organization rather than a publicly traded corporation. Its current identity is therefore best understood as a Canadian multidisciplinary advisory firm with accounting roots and a major multi-family-office practice.

Richter LLP was founded in Montreal in 1926 by Cecil Usher and William Richter. Its original corporate name was Richter, Usher & Co., and its initial activity was accounting. Over time, the firm expanded beyond conventional accounting work into insolvency, financial restructuring, consulting, and business valuation. This diversification allowed Richter to advise not only companies requiring accounting support but also businesses, owners, creditors, investors, and other stakeholders facing financial or strategic decisions. In 1962, Richter became the first independent accounting firm in Canada to sign a prospectus for a public offering. This milestone marked an important extension of the firm's professional role into transactions involving public-market financing. It also distinguished Richter from accounting practices whose activities were limited primarily to recurring accounting and audit engagements. The firm later participated in the RSM International network for ten years. Richter left the network in 2013, returning to an independent operating model. The departure was a significant organizational decision because membership in an international accounting network can provide cross-border reach and shared brand infrastructure, while independence permits a firm to manage its own market positioning and service strategy. Richter created the Richter Family Office in 1999 to provide wealth-management services to high-net-worth individuals. The family-office operation added a private-client dimension to the firm's established corporate advisory work. Its multi-family-office model could support families with issues such as wealth organization, business ownership, succession, and related advisory needs, although the available reference material does not specify the full scope of its current mandate. Richter maintains its headquarters in Montreal, with an office in Toronto and a financial restructuring division in Chicago. The geographic footprint connects its Canadian core with a United States presence focused specifically on restructuring. By 2016, Richter was described as the ninth-largest accounting-services firm in Canada and the largest multi-family office in Canada. These rankings and descriptions illustrate the scale of the organization after nine decades of development. The firm's history is consequently characterized by gradual expansion from a local accounting partnership into a broader professional-services platform. Its principal turning points were the move into public-offering work, the addition of insolvency and restructuring expertise, the creation of a family-office business, and the decision to operate independently after leaving RSM International. The available material confirms that Richter remains active, but it does not provide sufficiently detailed information about later leadership, revenue, ownership, or current employee numbers.

• 2016

  Recognized among Canada's largest accounting firms

  [1]Richter LLPen.wikipedia.org

  Richter was identified as the ninth-largest accounting-services firm in Canada and as Canada's largest multi-family office.

• 2013

  Departure from RSM International

  [1]Richter LLPen.wikipedia.org

  After ten years in the RSM International network, Richter left the organization and continued as an independent firm.

• 1999

  Richter Family Office established

  [1]Richter LLPen.wikipedia.org

  The firm created the Richter Family Office to provide wealth-management services to high-net-worth individuals.

• 1962

  First independent Canadian accounting firm to sign a public-offering prospectus

  [1]Richter LLPen.wikipedia.org

  Richter became the first independent accounting firm in Canada to sign a prospectus for a public offering.

• 1926

  Firm founded in Montreal

  [1]Richter LLPen.wikipedia.org

  Cecil Usher and William Richter founded the practice under the name Richter, Usher & Co., initially focusing on accounting.

A multidisciplinary Canadian professional-services firm combining accounting expertise with restructuring, insolvency, consulting, valuation, and multi-family-office capabilities.

• Professional accounting services · 1926

  Accounting and assurance

  Accounting formed the firm's original business and remains central to its professional-services identity. The available source describes Richter as having broadened from accounting into a wider advisory platform, but does not provide a detailed breakdown of its current assurance, tax, or reporting offerings.

• Financial advisory

  Insolvency and restructuring

  Richter provides services relating to insolvencies and financial restructuring. These capabilities support organizations and stakeholders dealing with financial distress, reorganizations, and related creditor or corporate matters. The firm's Chicago division is specifically described as a financial restructuring operation.

• Business advisory

  Consulting and business valuation

  The firm expanded into consulting and business valuation as part of its development beyond traditional accounting. These services can help companies and owners evaluate businesses and address strategic or transaction-related questions, although the reference material does not list individual practices or methodologies.

• Family-office and wealth management · 1999

  Richter Family Office

  Established in 1999, the Richter Family Office provides wealth-management services to high-net-worth individuals. It represents the firm's multi-family-office offering and extends Richter's advisory relationship from operating businesses to private families and their wealth-management needs.

• 2013

  Left the RSM International networkStrategy

  Background

  Richter had been part of RSM International for ten years before ending its network affiliation.

  Action taken

  The firm left RSM International and continued operating as an independent accounting and advisory firm.

  Aftermath

  The available source does not quantify the financial or operational consequences, but Richter was subsequently described as one of Canada's largest accounting-services firms and as its largest multi-family office in 2016.

  Source

1. 1Richter LLPen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Richter official websiterichter.ca