Best Lawyers in Ontario, Canada for Labour and Employment Law
Michelle MacGillivray is a labour and employment lawyer who takes a focused, strategic, and practical approach to solving workplace problems. Michelle works to find the most efficient way to resolve issues, or to support employers through major initiatives, including sale and acquisition of businesses, reductions in force, and policy changes. She prides herself on providing proactive, timely, and high-quality advice to her clients to help them manage the litigation and reputational risks that...
J. David Watson is counsel to and a founding member of Watson Jacobs Bosnick LLP. He has appeared on behalf of many trade unions, trust funds, associations and individuals before a wide array of tribunals and courts including Arbitrators and Boards of Arbitration, Federal and Provincial Labour Relations Boards, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and Appeals Tribunal, as well as various other administrative boards. David has also represented clients ...
Martin Denyes serves as Fasken’s Chair, with responsibility for engagement with clients and in markets in Canada, the United States and internationally. Prior to being named Firm Chair, Martin served as Managing Partner in Ontario and as Firm Managing Partner over the course of 15 years. In practice, his focus has been on supporting employers and executives in solving their day-to-day issues in the workplace and the mission critical issues that drive their workplace strategies. Througho...
Lorrie Por is a Partner with Harrison Pensa and Practice Lead of the firm’s Employment and Labour Law group. Her practice is restricted exclusively to employment law issues, and human rights law for employers and business owners. Employers and business owners in all industries and institutions turn to Lorrie for assistance with their employment and human right law issues and her advice and activities are valued by companies and business owners in all areas of Canada and internationally....
Mark Mason is a labour and employment lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. His practice includes arbitration advocacy, employment litigation, human rights proceedings and the entire spectrum of collective bargaining, including interest arbitrations and strike management. Mark advises a variety of public and private sector employers and brings a practical and solution-focused approach to the legal services he provides. Mark is recognized as one of Ontario’s leading counsel in t...
Bruce Sevigny is a recognized leader in the Ontario labour and employment law field, having practised exclusively in this area for more than thirty years. Bruce regularly advises both employer and employee clients on a wide range of labour and employment law issues, including wrongful dismissal litigation, employment contract issues, federal and provincial labour board proceedings (including union certification and decertification applications), human rights complaints, labour arbitration pro...
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 ...
Kathryn Bird (she/her/hers) is an employment, human rights, and labour lawyer in Ogletree Deakins’ Toronto office. Kathryn is a recognized leader in workplace law in Canada and was the winner of a Lexpert Rising Star award in 2020. Kathryn advises employers, social service providers, school boards, and municipalities regarding issues arising from the employment relationship and the provision of services to the public. Kathryn also assists school boards, colleges, and universities with l...
Boris Subara is a Partner in Fasken’s Ottawa office and is a member of the firm’s Labour, Employment & Human Rights group. He practices in all areas of labour and employment law and provides practical advice and representation to employers and management on a wide range of issues that arise during the course of the employment relationship. Among other things, Boris advises both provincially and federally regulated employers with respect to terminations, human rights issues, th...
Andrew McCreary, a lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Ottawa office, devotes his practice to labour and employment law. He predominantly works with employers in the financial services, technology, medical and defence sectors as well as those in government outsourcing. This work has included the defence of numerous wrongful dismissal claims and human rights applications in addition to union organizing campaigns, grievance arbitrations and labour board proceedings. Andrew frequently addresses depar...
Barbara Green is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Labour and Employment Law. Barbara, who practices law in Toronto, Ontario, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Barbara is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area. Barbara Green is a Partner in the Commercial Litigation Group at Robins Appleby ...
John Peters is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Labour and Employment Law. John, who practices law in Ottawa, Ontario, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Kim Pepper, a lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office, advises and represents clients on a wide variety of labour and employment issues. Kim works with employers in the public and private sectors as well as employers in the not-for-profit sector to assist them in effectively managing all aspects of their human resources. Kim regularly advises clients on matters including the negotiation and drafting of employment agreements and executive contracts, attendance and performance management,...
Mark Fletcher is a Partner with Grosman Gale Fletcher Hopkins LLP. Mark is an experienced trial lawyer who is regarded by his peers and ranked by LEXPERT and recognized by Best Lawyers as one of the leading employment lawyers in Canada. He advises and provides representation to both employers and employees in wrongful dismissal actions, executive compensation disputes, and in human rights cases. Mark is the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Cases on Employment Law (CCEL) and is the Editor fo...
Mark Josselyn is a partner in the firm's Ottawa office and the Ottawa group leader of the Firm's Employment and Labour Law National Practice Group. His practice focuses in the areas of employment law, insurance defence and commercial litigation Mark is an advocate before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Appeal and before various tribunals, including the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. He has significant training and experience in mediation and other conflict resol...
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.