Find Lawyers in Ontario, Canada for Labour and Employment Law
Select a city from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Cities
Labour and Employment Law - Ontario
About this Practice AreaPhilip 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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
Donna D’Andrea is a management-side labour relations and employment lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. Donna provides practical and strategic advice to employers in all matters related to wrongful dismissal, human rights complaints, employment standards claims, union organizing campaigns, collective bargaining, grievance arbitration and occupational health and safety. Donna leads the firm’s Hospitality & Gaming Practice Group. She serves as chief spokesperson for m...
Christine Davies is a labour lawyer and civil litigator in Goldblatt Partners' Toronto office. She is known for her tenacious commitment to getting clients the best possible result. A skilled litigator who started her career as a research lawyer, Christine now has one of the broadest practices at the firm. She is equally comfortable before labour arbitrators and administrative tribunals as she is before the civil courts. Christine’s labour practice includes representing unions and their...
Martin Denyes is Managing Partner of the firm’s Ontario Region, with primary responsibility for leadership of the Firm’s Toronto and Ottawa offices. His legal practice is focused predominantly on employment and labour, where he assists employers solve their day to day issues in the workplace and the mission critical issues that drive their workplace strategies. In his role as Regional Managing Partner, Martin is responsible for the overall operations of the firm’s Toronto an...
Henry Dinsdale is a partner in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. Henry has been advising and representing employers for over 25 years at both the federal and provincial levels and has appeared on behalf of employers in proceedings in every province in the country. His practice ranges from providing sophisticated strategic advice, to collective bargaining and labour and employment law advocacy. Henry has received both a Masters and Doctoral degree in law from Stanford University Law School ...
Casey, a partner at Filion, practises in all areas of labour and employment law. She acts for a wide variety of union and non-union clients in both the public and private sectors. Casey's practice focuses on public sector work, where she represents a number of municipalities, school boards, hospitals, and other broader public sector clients. Casey spends a considerable amount of her time on employment-related civil litigation matters, including wrongful dismissals, constructive dismissals, br...
Kelly Doctor has the smarts to see all possible solutions, and the heart and practical intuition to reach the best ones for her clients. She’s driven to fight for the rights of people experiencing disadvantage and discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere in their lives. While she loves to litigate, she also works quietly behind the scenes to advise clients on how to handle difficult situations in the workplace and negotiate resolutions to them. A former Supreme Court of Canada law ...
Jonathan Dye is a partner at Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP. Recognized as one of the leading lawyers in his field, he primarily litigates and advises clients on a range of issues such as wrongful dismissals, workplace human rights, employment standards, recruitment and dismissals, employment contracts and employment issues in corporate transactions. He has appeared as lead counsel in cases before the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and Divisional Court, the...
Hugh Dyer's practice is restricted to advising and representing employers in labour relations and employment-related matters. These matters concern union and non-union employees, encompassing labour relations, negotiation and administration of collective agreements, human rights, employment standards, health and safety and other employment issues. He frequently acts as employer counsel in grievance and interest arbitrations. He appears as counsel before the Canada Industrial Relations and the...
Jacques is a co-founding partner of Emond Harnden. He has considerable experience in the areas of public/private partnerships, constitutional and administrative tribunals, negotiation/mediation of public and private sector collective agreements. In 2005, Jacques successfully represented the house of Commons before the Supreme Court of Canada in Vaid v. House of Commons. He also brings unique capabilities in the areas of employment issues arising from the purchase and sale of business, as well...
Peter Engelmann is a labour and human rights lawyer in Goldblatt Partners' Ottawa office. He was a founding partner of Engelmann Gottheil, a firm that merged its practice with Sack Goldblatt Mitchell - now Goldblatt Partners - in 2005. Peter’s practice focuses on all aspects of labour law, human rights, pay and employment equity law and Charter litigation. He has appeared at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and appears regularly before arbitrators, human righ...
Ian attended the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto and obtained his Bachelor of Laws in 1992. While at law school he worked at one of the legal clinics associated with the school, eventually holding the position of co-director. As well, while at law school Ian was employed on contract for the Legal Department of the Ontario Information and Privacy Commission. Ian is a partner with Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson LLP. He commenced his articles with the firm in 1992 and returned to t...
As a senior litigator in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office, John Field deals with litigation of all aspects of the employment relationship. In his practice, he has acted as counsel at all levels of court including the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada. Over his career, John has developed significant expertise in class action defence and wrongful dismissal litigation. He has experience in injunction proceedings, Anton Piller orders and intellectual property matters....
Allyson Fischer is a civil litigator with more than 17 years of trial experience. She is an expert on all types of injunctions ranging from restrictive covenants, breach of fiduciary duties, breach of confidence, Mareva injunctions to freeze assets and labour injunctions to restrict picketing. Allyson regularly represents clients in wrongful dismissal actions involving executive level employees and commercial disputes including partnership and shareholder agreements. Before joining Brauti Tho...
Craig Flood practises in the area of labour law with a special expertise in the area of workplace safety and insurance. He is the Firm’s Managing Partner effective June 1, 2016 and a long-time member of the Executive Committee. Craig represents trade unions and employees in the acquisition and preservation of bargaining rights, unfair labour practice complaints, discipline and discharge, occupational health and safety, essential services, and grievance arbitration. He has appeared befor...
Daniel Fogel is a labour and employment lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office and the chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He regularly advises labour relations and human resources professionals in the private and public sectors on a wide range of subjects related to provincial and federal labour and employment law. Daniel’s practice consists largely of defending employers in wrongful dismissal actions, human rights applications, grievance arbitra...
Counsel to Sherrard Kuzz LLP, Harry is an unparalleled and invaluable resource to our team and clients, providing 40 years of knowledge and experience acquired “in the trenches” as both a leading labour litigator and Vice-Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board (“OLRB”). As a highly respected and esteemed lawyer and adjudicator, Harry’s insight assists our team to continue to provide imaginative, practical, timely and innovative solutions to the issues our cl...
Frances represents and advises employers on all matters related to the workplace, including collective bargaining, collective agreement interpretation, arbitration and labour board proceedings, dismissals and wrongful dismissal claims, and human rights and workplace harassment. Clients value Frances’ practical, down to earth and creative approach to solving workplace problems. Frances’ professional achievements have been consistently recognized by clients and peers. She has been c...
Anthony has been practicing Civil Litigation for almost three decades. He was voted 2023 Lawyer of the Year by his peers in the internationally acclaimed Best Lawyers ™ in the areas of Labour and Employment for Windsor/London Ontario. He has been recognized as one of the best lawyers in Canada by Best Lawyers ™ since 2022 in the areas of Personal Injury Litigation as well as Labour and Employment Litigation. Anthony is the senior partner the firm he started in March 2009 after pra...
Douglas G. Gilbert’s serves as strategic advisor and advocate on behalf of many national and multinational employers. His practice focuses on collective bargaining, labour and employment litigation. He represents clients before federal and provincial labour relations boards, in arbitration proceedings and in employment and human rights claims before the courts and tribunals. In his practice, Douglas is committed to understanding and reflecting the priorities and values of all clients. H...
Tim Gleason is a litigation lawyer at Dewart Gleason LLP. His expertise is eclectic. He has appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as in all levels of court in Ontario, on a wide range of civil, administrative, constitutional and labour matters. Tim defends lawyers in all types of practice, providing careful and thoughtful advice, and he has earned a reputation for fierce advocacy when a lawyer’s professional integrity is challenged. Tim also acts for the regulator of the lega...
Clio Godkewitsch helps individuals and groups of employees and retirees in disputes over their compensation, including pension and other employee benefits. Whether through skillful negotiation or uncompromising litigation, Clio’s aim is to get the best possible outcome for the people she represents. Pension and benefit plan administrators retain Clio to provide practical advice concerning benefit entitlements and communications with plan members. Clio helps them make sure they are provi...
Howard Goldblatt is a leading member of the labour law Bar. His practice focuses on all aspects of labour and employment law, including grievance and interest arbitration, workplace human rights, and pensions and benefits law. Howard is also widely regarded for his expertise in collective bargaining and provides clients with strategic advice for special legislative campaigns. In addition to representing clients before a wide variety of administrative tribunals, Howard has appeared as counsel ...
Labour and Employment Law Definition
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.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
In Brief
The Upcycle Conundrum
by Karen Kreider Gaunt
Laudable or litigious? What you need to know about potential copyright and trademark infringement when repurposing products.
Wage and Overtime Laws for Truck Drivers
by Greg Mansell
For truck drivers nationwide, underpayment and overtime violations are just the beginning of a long list of problems. Below we explore the wages you are entitled to but may not be receiving.
My Husband Didn’t Want to Stay Married…But He Didn’t Want a Divorce
by Jennifer Billock
Patience—and the law—prevails when an uncooperative partner avoids divorce proceedings.
Enhancing Consumer Safety Through Winning Jury Trials and Substantial Settlements
by Justin Smulison
Firm founder and lead trial lawyer James P. Frantz discusses how landmark victories in litigation and trial protect consumers.