Find Lawyers in Canada for Labour and Employment Law
Practice Area Overview
Labour and employment counsel provide assistance with the negotiation, drafting, interpretation, and application of collective agreements and the development of collective bargaining strategies and labour dispute contingency plans.
Counsel also assist with the development, drafting, implementation, and enforcement of workplace policies, the conduct of workplace investigations, and the determination of disciplinary matters and terminations.
They provide assistance with the negotiation and drafting of employment agreements, compensation, benefit and pension matters, and the interpretation and application of all labour and employment related legislation, including apprenticeship standards, employment equity, employment standards, immigration, labour relations, pension, privacy, workplace safety and health, and workers' compensation related legislation.
Labour and employment counsel are also regularly involved in corporate reorganizations and downsizing, mergers and acquisitions, and providing advice on all labour and employment matters that arise during such transactions.
Human rights matters often arise in the employment context and labour and employment counsel also regularly assist clients in dealing with human rights matters, including discrimination and harassment complaints and the duty to accommodate.
Labour and employment counsel also handle all labour and employment related disputes, including disputes relating to conduct during the union organizing and certification process, collective bargaining and strikes and lockouts, grievances and related arbitrations, wrongful dismissal claims, restrictive covenant issues, prosecutions under workplace safety and health legislation, employment equity, employment standards, human rights and privacy related complaints, and pension and workers' compensation issues. As a result, labour and employment counsel regularly appear as advocates for clients before arbitration boards, labour boards, employment equity, human rights, pension, privacy and workers' compensation related tribunals, and provincial and federal courts.
Given today’s work environment, labour and employment related issues can arise at any time and often require immediate attention. Effective labour and employment counsel ensure that they have a full understanding of their client’s operations and business requirements and are equipped to provide practical advice in a timely manner.
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Philip Abbink, Hons BA, MA, JD, practices in the areas of professional regulation and labour law, primarily providing advocacy for health care professionals in grievance arbitrations and at professional Colleges. He also represents employees in investigations, quasi-criminal regulatory proceedings and at Coroners' Inquests. Philip is also the Co-managing Partner at Cavalluzzo. After earning a JD and a MA in International Relations from the University of Toronto, Phil articled at Cavalluzzo. D...
John-Paul Alexandrowicz is an experienced labour and employment lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. His practice involves strategic advice and oral and written advocacy in a variety of forums including arbitration, labour boards, human rights tribunals and the courts. He acts for employers in judicial reviews, appeals and constitutional proceedings. John-Paul has significant experience representing public and Catholic school boards in collective agreement negotiations, labour arbit...
Raj practises in the areas of human rights, constitutional and administrative law, labour relations, civil litigation, professional negligence and discipline. He is a former Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and presently acts for complainants and respondents in internal investigations and Ontario and federal applications. He has acted as a Board of Inquiry under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Police Services Act, as Co-Chair of the University of Toronto Tribuna...
Jeff has extensive experience advising Unions on an ongoing basis. He practises before the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Canada Industrial Relations Board, the courts, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal, at arbitration hearings and inquests. He also practises in the fields of privacy and wrongful dismissal. Jeff is the Past Chair of the Labour and Employment Law Section of the Ontario Bar Assoc...
Jim Anstey is an associate lawyer in the Employment Law group at Nelligan O’Brien Payne LLP. Throughout his career, Jim has practised primarily in the areas of labour and employment law and health law. He spent most of his career prior to joining Nelligan O’Brien Payne at a large national law firm. Jim's practice involves providing advice on every aspect of the employment relationship, including hiring, employee terminations, discipline, accommodation, human rights and occupationa...
George Avraam practices trial and appellate litigation. George is a certified specialist in civil litigation, is ranked in Benchmark Litigation, Chambers, Legal 500, Lexpert, and is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. George also holds several leadership positions at the Firm. George practices trial and appellate litigation. He is lead counsel on trials, appeals, judicial reviews, class actions, arbitrations, and administrative proceedings. While George handles trials and...
https://www.blg.com/en/people/a/axelrod-maddie Maddie Axelrod is a management-side labour and employment lawyer in BLG’s Toronto office. Her practice includes employment, labour, human rights, and education law. Maddie’s hybrid practice comprises both advice-based solicitor work and advocacy-based litigation work. Maddie also focuses on executive compensation for hospitals, school boards, and other broader public sector organizations. Within her practice, Maddie acts for private a...
Damon Bailey is a respected labour lawyer, known for his good judgment and straightforward, decisive approach. He has the ability to examine details and tie them together into a strategic plan to help employers successfully navigate the complexities of labour law. With a particular talent for arbitrations, Damon gets straight to the point with clear direction and concise advice. Clients want him in their corner because he’s a strong leader in negotiations who doesn’t equivocate or...
David is a labour and employment lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. He represents employers in the private sector in a variety of litigation forums. David is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Labour and Employment Law and is a board member of the Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialist Program. David regularly appears before the Ontario Labour Relations Board and private arbitrators, Provincial Offences Court defending against Occupational Health and S...
For over 30 years, trade unions have relied on Steven Barrett to represent their interests, and the interests of their members, in all types of legal proceedings. Grievance and interest arbitration, labour relations board applications, collective bargaining – Steven does it all and makes it look easy. That’s why a member of parliament once referred to Steven as “the Wayne Gretzky of labour law”. From protecting the scope of bargaining unit work, to challenging discipli...
As a partner of the firm since 1996, Rob primarily advises private-sector employers on all aspects of labour and employment law. He frequently speaks on labour and employment law issues, and he has lectured on labour and employment law at Ryerson University and the University of Toronto. Rob was elected and continues to serve as Canada’s representative on L&E Global’s six-person, international Board of Directors. Rob has also successfully represented a number of clients to adv...
Luc Beaulieu is a member of our employment and labour law group. He practises in employment and labour law, human rights and administrative law (all types of litigation, including judicial review, collective bargaining as a spokesperson and special advisor to executive and management committees). Advising companies on management styles that contribute to reducing or eliminating employees’ interest in unionizing, he has experience in manufacturing, financial institutions, air transp...
Kelsey is Co-Chair of RMRF’s Municipal Law team. With 20 years of experience, she has been practicing almost exclusively in the area of Municipal Law for the last ten years, representing both rural and urban municipalities across the province of Alberta. Kelsey provides advice to municipalities on Council issues, elections, planning and development, tax recovery, enforcement, bylaws, pecuniary interests, Codes of Conduct, expropriation, inter-municipal disputes and assessment. In additi...
John is a senior lawyer in the Saskatoon office where he acts as Counsel in complex commercial and contractual disputes, professional negligence, labour law, taxation, and First Nations litigation. John Beckman, K.C. was called to the Bar in 1977, admitted as a Partner in 1980, and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1987. He transitioned to Of Counsel in 2018. Mr. Beckman has extensive experience acting as Counsel in complex commercial and contractual disputes, Professional Negligence, Labour...
A partner at Woods LLP, Eric serves a wide range of industries, including financial services and natural resources. He also handles employment-related matters for employers as well as senior management. Eric is a frequent author and speaker on topics such as evidence, civil procedure and international arbitration. An accomplished trial and appellate lawyer, Eric has developed a particular expertise in domestic and international arbitration. His experience includes acting for Canada in the NAF...
Nathalie-Anne Béliveau is a seasoned and experienced litigator who focuses on civil and commercial litigation as well as competition law. Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, injunctions, seizures and other urgent extraordinary remedies, including Anton Piller (civil search warrant), Norwich and Mareva injunctions and intellectual property disputes. Nathalie-Anne has leading-edge litigation expertise in breach of non-compete and non-solicitation clauses, unfair or ill...
Patrick L. Benaroche is a senior partner in the Employment & Labour Group of the Montreal office. With a background in organizational psychology, Patrick provides advice to major corporations on all aspects of Canadian employment and labour law, with an emphasis on cross-border issues affecting a mobile workforce. Patrick appears regularly before both civil and administrative tribunals on matters relating to wrongful dismissal, workplace harassment and discrimination, non-competition clau...
Serge Benoît is a partner in our firm who graduated from the Université de Montréal and was called to the Québec Bar in 1977. His extensive experience as a litigator and negotiator benefits employers in various fields including manufacturing, metallurgy, municipalities, retail, cement manufacturing, service organizations, and public and parapublic organizations. During the implementation of the Act Respecting Municipal Territorial Organization dealing with municipal...
Louis P. Bernier practises labour and employment law. He also specializes in administrative and constitutional law, with a focus on extraordinary remedies and Charter issues. Louis appears before various bodies and tribunals and actively defends the rights of clients at every step in the proceedings. Louis has many years of experience in major files and has a unique perspective on every aspect involved in the organization of work and operations management, including restructurings, subcontrac...
Catherine Biron, CPHR, is a partner in the Montréal office of Langlois Lawyers. She advises and represents businesses on all aspects of labour and employment law, human rights, company policies, health and safety and working relations. Catherine holds a master’s degree in labour law and human rights law from the University of Oxford (England) and she is a graduate of McGill’s Executive Institute, as well as CPHR. She represents and counsels unionized and non-unionized busin...
David has extensive experience representing unions in the federal public sector and appears frequently before arbitrators and the Canada Industrial Relations Board on behalf of postal workers and other federally regulated workers. David also specializes in education law and acts on behalf of teacher federations and their members on issues arising from their collective agreements or before the Ontario College of Teachers. David appears regularly on behalf of clients on judicial reviews in the ...
Dan is a dedicated advisor and strategic problem solver. He is known for providing timely, practical advice and unrelenting advocacy. He leverages his tireless work ethic and substantial experience to achieve measurable results for his clients. Dan is an accomplished litigator and advisor to union and non-union employers with respect to labour, employment, workers’ compensation, occupational health and safety, and administrative law issues. He is well-versed in termination issues, human...
Jan Borowy’s practice areas include labour relations, human rights, pay equity and professional regulation in health care. She works extensively on issues of pay equity, human rights and occupational health and safety, including preventing workplace violence and harassment. She represents trade unions, employees, and civil society coalitions. Jan brings to her practice a longstanding commitment to the promotion of social justice, workers’ rights and human rights. Her experience gi...
Richard is a natural storyteller and his many stories have elicited much laughter from both clients and colleagues. He is a mighty and strategic litigator who leaves nothing to chance. Richard joined Monette Barakett in 1980. He is a long-standing partner and was a member of the executive committee for over 25 years. He served as managing partner from 2012 to 2017.Richard specializes in labour and employment law in the public, parapublic and private sectors. For more than thirty years, he has...
With more than 35 years of experience in the field and a sought-after expertise in negotiating working conditions, Michel Brisebois advises large companies on major strategic issues, whether governed by provincial or federal labour laws. Michel assists major clients in negotiating collective agreements with workers’ unions. He also represents private and semi-public companies at arbitration hearings before tribunals at all levels. He advises and acts as an attorney for grievances or com...
John Brooks is an experienced labour and employment law lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. He advises and represents employers on a wide range of labour and employment matters. John regularly provides advice to employers regarding union organizing and certification and collective bargaining negotiations. He routinely acts as chief spokesperson in collective bargaining negotiations. He also advises on all aspects of the employment relationship and the handling by employers of termi...
Benoit Brouillette is a partner in the Labour and Employment Law Group. He serves a clientele that includes private, public and parapublic organizations and assists them in their daily and strategic management of human resources and labour relations. Mr. Brouillette represents employers before administrative tribunals and courts of justice. He also acts as an employer spokesperson or strategic adviser in the negotiation of collective agreements. Within his practice, he provides training adapt...
John Bruce is a management-side labour and employment lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. John acts for an array of employers in the public and private sectors in all aspects of workplace law. John assists clients with: Advocacy, Litigation and Advice. He acts as employer counsel and advocate across Canada in grievance arbitrations, civil litigation, union issues, occupational health and safety cases, and human rights matters. Transactions and Strategy. He provides clients with str...
Brian is a management-side labour and employment lawyer in Fasken’s Toronto office. Brian is counsel to and a Board member of the Canadian Employers Council (CEC). The CEC is the official "voice" of Canadian business, on the international stage, including at the ILO, in respect of the world of work. In January 2021, the CEC submitted a Report to the Canadian government setting out the views and perspective of the Canadian business community on a wide variety of unfolding international a...
Soft spoken, but with a steely resolve, Fiona Campbell represents trade unions and employees in a wide variety of labour, employment, pension, and human rights matters. Fiona does everything from helping employees negotiate their employment contracts and termination packages, to representing employees and trade unions before labour and human rights tribunals, to arguing judicial review applications and constitutional cases in the courts. She has particular expertise in the federal public serv...
Ed Canning is an employment lawyer and Partner at Ross & McBride LLP. He has been an employment lawyer in Hamilton for over 25 years, representing both employers and employees. For the last 21 years, Ed has written a bi-weekly column in the Hamilton Spectator on employment law. Throughout his career, Ed has appeared before the courts and a variety of tribunals. In 2001 he argued a Human Rights Code appeal before the Supreme Court of Canada and in 2016 before the Ontario Court of Appeal. E...
As the senior partner in his firm, Paul is a leading constitutional, labour and administrative law lawyer, arguing significant cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Courts of Ontario, and labour and administrative tribunals. Paul was appointed by Associate Chief Justice Dennis O'Connor to act as lead commission counsel to the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar. Previously, Paul acted as lead commission counsel in the Walkerton Inquir...
Frank is a senior litigator in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. He is a strategic counsel for his clients, and has significant courtroom and hearing experience representing clients in complex and high-profile cases. Frank represents his clients as a close and long-term advisor, and as a highly skilled advocate on their most important and challenging cases. Frank has particular expertise in arguing judicial review and appeals, and in litigation relating to the following: employment dispute...
Israel provides ongoing advice relating to employers’ statutory and collective agreement obligations. He is an active advocate appearing on behalf of employers before the Labour Relations Board, the Employment Standards Tribunal, the Human Rights Tribunal, arbitration boards and both Provincial and Federal Courts. He practises in multiple jurisdictions across Canada. Israel taught at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Commerce and lectured and published in the area of ...
André serves a large client base in the public, broader public and private sectors with a particular focus on health care and post-secondary education. His clients value his strategic input, practical advice and responsiveness. In addition to managing a substantial grievance arbitration practice in both official languages, André supports his vast client base by providing advice and legal representation in the context of collective agreement bargaining, preparation of employment ...
Alexis-François Charette practises in various areas of employment and labour law. He advises employers on collective and individual labour relations, particularly labour standards, individual disputes, grievance arbitration, the certification process, orders and injunctions in labour disputes, the drafting of contracts of employment and company policies, criminal liability in occupational health and safety matters, the protection of personal information, discrimination and human rights...
Richard Charney is a senior partner in our Toronto office, where he practises management labour relations and employment law, a field in which he is widely recognized as an advocate on behalf of national and local clients. For more than 10 years, he was Norton Rose Fulbright's global head of employment and labour. Mr. Charney acts for numerous employers and employers’ organizations and appears at provincial and federal labour relations boards and the courts, including the Supreme Court ...
Shivani Chopra is an experienced lawyer in Hicks Morley's Toronto office. She has spent over a decade in courts tenaciously representing clients on labour and employment matters. Her approach has always been to fiercely advocate for her clients but take a cost-effective and collaborative approach when in their best interest. In her employment law practice, Shivani frequently advises employers on a wide variety of matters including accommodation issues, occupational health and safety, performa...
Renowned for his ability to develop innovative strategies that solve complex labour relations problems, Brett has appeared as counsel for employers in hundreds of administrative and court proceedings at both the federal and provincial level. He frequently represents employers in collective bargaining negotiations and provides strategic advice on managing a wide variety of labour relations issues. Certified as a Specialist in Labour Law since 1998, Brett is widely recognized as one of the coun...
Glenn Christie, a labour and employment lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Waterloo office, provides strategic advice and legal services to a wide range of clients and is known for his practical and proactive approaches to client problems. Glenn’s advocacy practice places him before the courts, arbitrators, the Ontario Labour Relations Board and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. A very experienced negotiator, he has acted as spokesperson in several rounds of high profile, politically se...
Hugh Christie is the managing partner of Ogletree Deakins’ Toronto office. He provides commercial and public sector clients with advice on all elements of employment law, from pre-hiring through recruitment, drafting agreements, benefit plans and policies, discipline, promotion, succession planning, termination and post-employment obligations. Hugh deals with employment issues arising out of restructuring of the workplace as a result of corporate transactions and trans-border employment...
Gary Clarke is a partner and Co-Head of the Employment & Labour Group nationally and Head of the Employment & Labour Group in Western Canada. Gary’s practice focuses on employment, labour relations, human rights and privacy law. He assists employers in both union and non-union environments with various human resources and labour relations issues including: drafting employment agreements, compensation schemes, workplace policies, restrictive covenants and non-disclosure agreement...
Jean-François Cloutier is a partner at Fasken and specializes in labour and employment law as well as administration law. He advises businesses from both the public and private sectors and represents them before civil courts and administrative tribunals. In recent years, he has taken an interest in all aspects of both collective and individual employment relations. He has also developed an expertise in matters of legal-medical import, specifically in absenteeism management, the duty to...
Jean-Sébastien Cloutier practises in various areas of employment and labour law. He advises employers on labour relations, particularly individual and collective labour relations, labour standards, industrial accidents and occupational diseases, occupational health and safety, human rights and freedoms, administrative law and litigation under the Act respecting labour relations, vocational training and workplace management in the construction industry (Bill R-20). Mr. Cloutier often ap...
Mark practices in all aspects of labour, employment, and human rights law, representing management in various sectors including forestry, education, and municipal government. He offers advice and representation on dismissal and disciplinary matters, seniority issues, job competition grievances, contracting issues, and layoff/recall disputes. He regularly appears before the BC Labour Relations Board and boards of arbitration, and has appeared before the Federal Court and all levels of court in...
Magali Cournoyer-Proulx provides top-level strategic advice and has an unmatched reputation in the area of employment law. She represents clients from various sectors, including banking and insurance, as well as a number of financial institutions, tech companies and manufacturing companies. She advises clients on all aspects of individual employment relationships: contracts of employment, clauses restricting employment, compensation packages, labour standards, policies, termination, human rig...
Peter is an experienced, thorough, confidence-inspiring counsel. When someone comes to him with a problem, he uses his skill to gather key information from everyone who’s directly and indirectly involved in order to build a solid case. He particularly enjoys the most difficult cases, including terminations, and approaches them with a relentless and tenacious focus. His deep experience representing clients enables him to guide them expertly through the process, represent them well and, a...
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