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Practice Area Overview
Pension and employee benefits law is a practice area for lawyers who counsel employers, boards of trustees, unions, and others on legal questions related to several different types of retirement and employee group benefit plans. The largest area of emphasis is on registered pension plans.
This area of law encompasses a wide spectrum of matters, including planning, drafting, and interpreting retirement plan documents, and assisting clients with ongoing administrative and compliance matters; as well as litigation and dispute management. Lawyers also work closely with plan sponsors and administrators on fiduciary duties, tax compliance issues, and various issues related to plan investments. All of this requires working in the human resources area, but also dealing regularly with corporate finance and investment professionals and with government agencies, including the Canada Revenue Agency and various federal and provincial pension regulators.
Some lawyers focus on the litigation and dispute resolution side of pension and employee benefits law, specifically dealing with statutory, common law, and fiduciary duty claims affecting pension and employee benefit plans. They may act for plan members, unions, plan sponsors, administrators, trustees, or service providers. Some claims are framed as class actions or representative proceedings.
Other pension and employee benefits lawyers focus on executive compensation matters including legal issues surrounding equity-based compensation, bonus arrangements, supplemental retirement and deferred compensation plans. Pension and employee benefits law practitioners are also often called upon to identify issues and propose solutions to pension and benefit problems in corporate reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.
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Jennifer is an experienced pension and benefits lawyer with Toronto-based firm, Brown Mills Klinck Prezioso LLP. Jennifer advises employers and plan administrators on all matters related to their pension and benefit plans including administration, governance, plan design, investment and compliance with minimum standards legislation and regulatory policy. Jennifer has worked with all types of pension plans in both the federal and provincial jurisdictions, including multi-employer and jointly s...
Simon Archer likes to get the deal done. He helps trade unions negotiate agreements and settle disputes so that promises are kept – especially pension promises. Simon works to protect the wages, working conditions and retirement security of his clients and their families. To do this, he works with trade unions, retiree associations and boards of trustees across Canada, advising on negotiating pension and benefits, trust administration and fiduciary issues, public interest litigation, in...
Geneviève Beaudin is a partner in the Labour and Employment Law Group. In the course of her practice, Geneviève advises and represents companies under provincial and federal jurisdiction in their individual and collective labour relations. In this capacity, she deals with cases involving grievance adjudication, human rights, labour standards and access to information. She has also developed strong expertise in drafting opinions, arguments and factums in labour and employment law...
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...
Elizabeth Brown is an experienced pension and benefits lawyer with Toronto-based firm, Brown Mills Klinck Prezioso LLP. She advises public and private sector employers on a wide range of regulatory governance, compliance and administration matters relating to pension and employee benefits plans. Elizabeth appears as counsel on pension litigation disputes and has extensive experience advising on large corporate transactions, including insolvencies, mergers and acquisitions, and reorganizations...
Ken practices exclusively in the firm’s pensions and employee benefits law practice group. He advises pension and benefit plan sponsors on a range of legal and regulatory issues affecting their plans. He advises on pension plan governance and compliance monitoring projects, regulatory applications and the handling of pension disputes. He works with managers in the drafting and maintenance of pension documents, including plan texts, trust declarations, statements of investment policies, ...
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...
Murray is a pension lawyer who acts for boards of trustees and other sponsors of pension and benefit plans in the private and public sectors in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta. While Murray is a solicitor, he is regularly involved in pension and benefit litigation. Murray is the head of Western Canada’s largest and most experienced Pensions and Benefits Law Group.
Lisa is a partner in the firm’s Pensions and Employee Benefits Group and Protection of Privacy and Freedom of Information Group. Pension and Employee Benefits Lisa’s pension and employee benefits practice has a special emphasis on multi-employer pension plans and health and welfare trusts, usually sponsored for specific industries. Lisa represents dozens of board of trustees and corporate plan sponsors in both the public and private sector and in a wide variety of industries. Lisa...
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...
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...
Cynthia is the leader of the Pensions and Benefits Practice. She has extensive experience in pension and benefits law, policy and strategy - for 25 years, she has exclusively worked in pension and benefits from alma broad range of perspectives, starting with private practice representing unions, employees and administrators. Cynthia also worked within the Ontario government, within a large jointly sponsored public sector plan and most recently, with Ontario’s new pension regulator on st...
Frédéric Desmarais's practice covers all aspects of employment and labour law, with a focus on civil employment law matters and litigation, such as duty of loyalty and restrictive covenants. He is also knowledgeable in federal labour and employment law. Mr. Desmarais provides federal and provincial jurisdiction employers with strategic advice on how best to manage their workforces. He acts on behalf of employers before the appropriate authorities, including administrative tribun...
Guy C. Dion is a partner at the Québec City office where he represents private sector employers subject to federal and provincial jurisdiction and SMEs. He practises in the areas of labour and employment law and commercial litigation. Guy regularly advises clients from the manufacturing industry, car dealerships and members of automobile and construction associations. He is highly valued by clients for his vast experience in extraordinary remedies such as injunctions, seizures, search ...
Robert Dupont’s practice encompasses every aspect of labour and employment, human rights and administrative law. He offers clients extensive experience in labour relations, specifically the protection of personal information, pay equity and pension plans. For many years businesses have trusted Robert to advise them on the cross-border flow of personal information, collective bargaining and restructuring. Robert has also won their trust by representing clients before various arbitration ...
George Dzuro, with his wealth of experience in the areas of corporate, commercial and securities law, adds the dimension of business law to Koskie Minsky. As a member of the firm’s Pension and Employee Benefits Group, George provides legal and compliance advice on investment matters for pension and other benefit funds, as well as corporate, commercial and securities law advice for trade unions, not-for-profit organizations and financial service providers. George graduated first in his L...
Craig Ferris, QC is a litigator and acts for clients in commercial and business disputes. His particular areas of specialization include shareholder remedies, trust, pension and fiduciary disputes, securities and transactional litigation, product liability, mining disputes and real estate litigation. Craig has appeared in all levels of court in British Columbia as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. He has also acted in private arbitrations and in administrative settings including before the...
Stéphane Fillion is the co-leader of the Labour, Employment & Human Rights group, he is also the Chair of Fasken’s Quebec Labour, Employment and Human Rights Group. He practises in every area related to labour and employment law, be it collective or individual contracts of employment, human rights, labour standards, occupational health and safety, issues related to Pay Equity, the Charter of the French Language or other aspects. Stéphane is praised for his expertise an...
Mark Firman is a partner in the Montréal office’s Tax Group. His practice focuses on pensions, benefits and executive compensation issues in corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, insolvencies, reorganizations and financings. Mark advises on all aspects of pensions, benefits and executive compensation law, including: the taxation of equity incentives; retirement and health and welfare benefits; pension plan and trust fund administration; pension fund investme...
Jordan Fremont is a partner in the Pensions & Benefits Group. Jordan regularly advises on a broad range of pensions, benefits and executive compensation matters, with a focus on pension, benefits and compensation plan design, compliance, governance, administration, regulatory investigations, employee and plan member disputes, and business transactions, including downsizings, spin-offs, mergers and acquisitions and wind-ups. Jordan also regularly advises on employment-related tax issues. J...
Patrick Galizia practises employment and labour law. He advises employers on collective and individual labour relations, with particular emphasis on labour standards, individual actions, grievance arbitration, certification, drafting of employment contracts and internal corporate policies, directors' liability to employees, dismissals, protection of personal information, discrimination and human rights in the workplace, harassment, health & safety and industrial accidents. Mr. Galizia reg...
Ross Gascho practices exclusively in the area of pensions and employee benefits. He advises clients on all aspects of the implementation, administration, funding, communication, investment, governance and wind-up of pension, group benefit and profit-sharing plans. Working with administrators, financial institutions, plan sponsors and trustees, Ross advises on issues in federally and provincially regulated defined benefit and defined contribution plans across the private and public sectors, fo...
Anthony (Tony) has practiced labour and workplace law since his call to the BC Bar in 1994. He became a partner in 1997 and remained with the same firm which ultimately became Glavin Gordon Clements and now Koskie Glavin Gordon. Best Lawyers in Canada recognizes Anthony for his expertise in Employee Benefits Law and Labour and Employment Law. Chambers and Partners Canada ranks both the firm and Anthony in its top echelon (Band 1) for employment and labour relations in BC. In addition, Lexpert...
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...
Murray Gold a senior Partner in the pension and benefits practice at Koskie Minsky LLP. Murray advises governing boards of public sector and jointly trusteed pension and benefits plans across Canada in regard to compliance and best-practice issues. He counsels the fiduciary boards of public and private sector pension and benefits plans as well as boards of trustees of multi-employer pension plans. He has led governance and financial restructurings of major public sector pension and benefits a...
Stephanie Gutierrez has an active labour and human rights law practice in Vancouver. She represents unionized and non-unionized employers in a wide range of matters and disputes. Companies value Stephanie’s practical, client-centric and strategic advice. Stephanie has significant expertise in labour relations, and regularly acts for employers before the Labour Relations Board, Human Rights Tribunal, and labour arbitrators in wrongful dismissal actions, collective agreement interpretatio...
James Harnum provides counsel to unions, employees and boards of trustees on all aspects of pension and benefits administration and litigation. A significant part of his practice involves assisting employees of insolvent companies in recovering amounts owed to them, whether for wages, severance pay or post-retirement benefits. James also has experience in litigation involving the intersection of constitutional rights with labour and pension law. He has appeared before all levels of court in O...
Andrew Hatnay is the practice co-ordinator of the firm’s Pensions and Employee Benefits group. He advises employees, retirees, pension plan administrators and unions on all aspects of pension plans, benefit plans and employee compensation, and has special expertise with corporate restructurings and bankruptcy. Andrew is also a litigator and represents clients in insolvency proceedings before all levels of court. Andrew has acted as court-appointed representative counsel for employees an...
Paul Heisler is counsel at the firm and practices in the areas of employment law, constitutional litigation, and commercial litigation. Paul has extensive experience representing clients in disputes relating to wrongful dismissal, privacy law, workers’ compensation, post-employment competition, human rights, public law, labour relations, shareholder rights, and commercial matters. Paul also regularly provides legal and strategic advice to both employers and senior employees in the publi...
Tina Hobday, a partner since 2001, has developed considerable expertise in the fields of pension plan litigation and governance and has represented pension interests in several high-profile insolvency proceedings. She also practices in the area of public and administrative law, and has substantial experience in professional and disciplinary law. As an experienced litigator, she represents clients before the civil and federal courts, including statutory appeals before the Federal Court of Appe...
Herb Isherwood is a partner in our employment and labour team. He has over 30 years of experience assisting public and private sector employers with a wide range of labour and employment issues. Mr. Isherwood maintains a busy practice advising employers on disability and absenteeism, termination and wrongful dismissal, union organizing campaigns, labour relations strategy and collective agreement negotiation, collective agreement interpretation, grievance arbitration, workers compensation, em...
Clayton Jones has a busy labour, employment and human rights practice in Fasken’s Vancouver office advising employers on all aspects of the employment relationship. Clayton provides practical advice intended to prevent and resolve workplace disputes in both union and non-union contexts. Clients also frequently rely on Clayton to assist with significant workplace changes including workforce reductions, closures, bankruptcies/insolvencies, and corporate transactions.
Megan advises boards of trustees and plan sponsors on a variety of legal matters involving pension plans, employee life and health trusts and other benefit plans. Her clients include both single employer plans and trusteed multi-employer plans across a wide range of industries. Megan prepares and amends plan texts and trust agreements, advises on the application of provincial and federal pension legislation and regulator policy, and drafts supporting plan documentation such as participation a...
With over thirty years of experience, Rose brings sound judgment and a well-rounded perspective to her diverse practice. The guiding principle for Rose is finding the right legal solution for her clients and in doing so nothing is more important than being respectful, compassionate and responsive. She is the chair of our personal injury group and an integral member of our workplace law group. In her workplace law practice, Rose has extensive experience advising both employers and employees on...
Terra L. Klinck is an experienced pension and benefits lawyer with Toronto-based firm, Brown Mills Klinck Prezioso LLP. Terra has over 25 years’ experience advising both provincially- and federally-regulated employers and plan administrators, primarily in the private sector, on all legal issues relating to defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pension plans, including: governance, fiduciary responsibilities, plan administration and regulatory compliance, funding requirement...
Michel Legendre is an associate in the Tax Group. He specializes in pensions and employee benefits, supplemental plans, executive compensation and stock option plans. Michel’s assignments in field pension related matters include: Drafting plan documentation, pension trusts, master trusts and amendments thereto. Drafting opinions on contribution holidays, surplus entitlements, construction of plan documentation, division of credits on material breakdown, entitlement to benefits, etc. Rev...
Geoff takes a direct, methodical and highly effective approach. He draws on his knowledge of a client’s business and workforce to offer straightforward, practical advice, and in order to create trust, is always pragmatic and realistic about what they can achieve. Geoff is highly productive, taking an organized, systematic and disciplined approach to preparation. He communicates clearly and drives hard to find solutions that are feasible and solid, and which clients can depend on. Geoff ...
Allyson Marta practises exclusively in the area of Pensions and Benefits law. Her practice focuses on pensions and benefits in corporate transactions, creditor/debtor agreements, and restructurings and insolvencies. She advises clients in both the public and private sectors with respect to pension plan compliance, governance, investments, and administration. Allyson also assists clients with navigating legal and regulatory matters related to retirement and benefit plans more broadly.
Sean Maxwell is a highly experienced lawyer with, having worked on a wide range of legal issues relating to pension and employee benefit plans. In his practice, Sean advises on pension fund investments, plan terminations, ongoing plan administration and compliance issues, disputes over the use of plan assets, development and documentation of pension and employee benefit plans, issues arising from corporate transactions and commercial insolvencies, and adhering to fiduciary duties. Sean also h...
Michael Mazzuca is a Partner in Koskie Minsky’s Pension and Employee Benefits Group. Michael has extensive experience in providing legal advice across Canada to multi-employer pension plans (MEPPs), jointly sponsored pension plans and other jointly governed plans, including health and welfare plans and training funds. He also advises trade unions as well as plan member and retiree groups across Canada concerning legal matters related to plan governance, fiduciary duties and plan investm...
A Partner in our Vancouver office, Paul has been helping employers across Western Canada resolve workplace law problems for over two decades. He has significant experience in the mining, transportation, education, hospitality, construction and financial sectors. Recognized as a leading practitioner by Best Lawyers and Lexpert, Paul provides strategic counsel to clients concerning employment litigation, occupational health and safety, shareholder disputes, workers’ compensation, human ri...
Lindsay is an experienced pension and benefits lawyer with Brown Mills Klinck Prezioso LLP. She has over 15 years of experience providing strategic and practical advice to both provincially and federally regulated employers, sponsors and plan administrators. She advises clients on regulatory compliance, governance and administration matters for registered pension plans and supplemental executive retirement plans (SERPs). She has a wealth of experience advising public and private companies on ...
Dominique practises labour and employment law and has developed specific expertise in pension and benefits. He represents a wide range of clients from diverse sectors of the economy such as the high-tech, consulting engineering, print media, financial services, food and beverage, heavy equipment, and restaurant industries. He is both an experienced conciliator and litigator. Dominique has extensive experience before virtually every decision-making body in labour and employment law, including ...
Natasha Monkman is a pension and benefits lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office and the chair of the firm’s Pension, Benefits, and Executive Compensation Practice Group. She regularly advises employers on governance, plan administration, investment and compliance matters relating to their employee benefit plans and pension plans. Natasha has advised multiple clients on asset and liability transfers and issues relating to derisking initiatives including annuity purchases. More re...
Pamela is a pension and benefits lawyer with Toronto-based firm, Brown Mills Klinck Prezioso LLP. She maintains a broad practice covering all aspects of pension, benefits and executive compensation law. She regularly provides advice to public and private sector clients on pension plan design, administration, compliance, funding and governance. She also provides advice on corporate transactions, including mergers & acquisitions and reorganizations. Prior to joining BMKP Law, Pamela worked ...
Susan Philpott understands how important pensions and benefits are to the well-being of workers and their families. She has dedicated her career to it. Trade unions across Canada rely on Sue to help them expand workplace pension and benefits coverage, bargain new pensions and benefits arrangements, and navigate through employer insolvencies and restructuring. She also helps pension plan trustees meet their legal obligations to plan members by providing first-rate strategic, governance, and le...
Meghan is a partner in Lawson Lundell’s Pension and Employee Benefits Group. She acts for boards of trustees and other sponsors of pension and benefit plans in the private and public sectors in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Meghan works with both single employer plans and trusteed multi-employer plans across a wide range of industries, providing advice in respect of the legal and regulatory issues that impact these plans. She advises on issues that arise in the day to day ...
John Prezioso is an experienced pension and benefits lawyer with Toronto-based firm, Brown Mills Klinck Prezioso LLP. He advises employers and plan administrators in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors on compliance, administration and governance issues relating to their pension plans and employee group benefits plans, and issues relating to pension plan investment, de-risking of defined benefit pension plans and decumulation issues in the defined contribution context. John has ext...
As a preeminent labour and employment lawyer, Gary Rosen principally acts in discipline, hiring, and restructuring files as well as in traditional labour law matters such as applications for certification, collective bargaining and grievance arbitration. In addition, he possesses major and renowned experience in commercial litigation. Always seeking solutions that are in the best interest of the client from both a practical and a financial perspective, Mr. Rosen represents small, medium-sized...
Roberto Tomassini is a partner in Koskie Minsky’s Pension and Employee Benefits Group with extensive experience advising and representing employees, unions, plan administrators, trustees and their advisors and consultants regarding all aspects of pension and employee benefit plan structuring, administration, regulatory compliance and fiduciary responsibilities. Roberto has particular expertise relating to income and sales tax issues affecting the design and administration of pension and...
Natasha vandenHoven is a partner and Head of the Pensions & Benefits Group. Her practice focuses on statutory and governmental plans, governance, fiduciary obligations, investment and administration issues, trusts, and compliance matters. In particular, she advises clients on pensions and benefits issues relating to corporate transactions, creditor/debtor agreements, and bankruptcy and insolvency matters. Natasha is experienced in executive compensation and advises clients on matters incl...
Michael began his legal career with Bennett Jones LLP. Michael joined Carbert Waite LLP in 2003. In 2020, Michael was appointed King’s Counsel by Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, Doug Schweitzer. Appointments of King’s Counsel are awarded to lawyers who have made significant contributions to the legal profession and have demonstrated exceptional leadership. LITIGATION PRACTICE Michael is an accomplished advocate and maintains an active civil and commercia...
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 ...
Michael practises exclusively in the area of Pensions and Benefits law. He provides private and public sector clients, including boards of trustees, with strategic advice and practical counsel about legal, legislative and regulatory issues surrounding retirement plans, employment benefits and related human resource matters. In business transactions, Michael advises clients on the pension and benefit implications. He assists clients with drafting, amending and interpreting a wide variety of pl...
Cary Wong is an experienced pension and benefits lawyer with Toronto based firm, Brown Mills Klinck Prezioso LLP. Cary has practiced exclusively in the area of pension, benefits and executive compensation law for over 25 years. Cary has a wealth of experience providing advice to employers and plan administrators on legislative and regulatory compliance matters involving pension and benefit plans, including compliance with pension, tax and employment standards legislation. He assists clients w...
Hugh Wright’s practice focuses in the area of pensions and benefits, providing advice to pension plan sponsors, administrators, and service providers on the full range of pension and benefit matters, including related investment matters and the resolution of disputes. He focusses on finding efficient and effective solutions for clients enabling them to navigate the complex regulatory and legal framework in which they operate and realize their strategic and business objectives. Hugh is a...
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