Employment & Labour
Canada Guide 2025 : British Columbia
Band 3
Contact number
+1 604 687 6575About
Provided by Norton Rose Fulbright
Our Employment and Labour team represents employers in both private and public sectors across Canada. The team is based in six key Canadian markets including Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal and Québec City.
The team regularly advises on both provincial matters as well as leading cases at the federal level. We also act for major players in the federal sphere, large energy companies, universities, infrastructure organizations and pharma companies.
Chambers Review
The Vancouver office of Norton Rose Fulbright houses a robust employment and labour practice, which advises on a broad spectrum of matters. Its lawyers are regularly selected by employers to assist with collective agreements, human rights claims and labour disputes. The team's further experience includes advising on strike contingency planning and issues concerning pensions. The firm has a broad client base that includes government entities, municipalities, regulatory authorities and healthcare providers, among others. It is further noted for its growing expertise in areas such as workplace mental health, post-employment restrictive covenants and alcohol and drug testing.
Work Highlights
- Norton Rose Fulbright acts as lead counsel to Fraser Valley Regional Library on all employment and labour matters, including collective agreement negotiations, grievance arbitration and occupational health and safety matters.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"The team of lawyers at NRF are extremely competent. They can easily handle complex and sophisticated matters. The work quality and results are outstanding."
"They have been excellent - responsive and reliable. The depth and breadth of their team is very strong."
"Their team is incredibly flexible, providing highly diverse services and support in a wide array of different areas, mixing and matching as appropriate to match the challenge presented."
"Everyone that I have dealt with as been knowledgeable and has been able to assist. Excellent and prompt replies to questions and issues when they arise."
"I consider them experts in their field with advice I trust. I have never had an issue or matter that someone was not able to handle quickly, competently or efficiently."
"The team of lawyers at NRF are extremely competent. They can easily handle complex and sophisticated matters. The work quality and results are outstanding."
"They have been excellent - responsive and reliable. The depth and breadth of their team is very strong."
"Their team is incredibly flexible, providing highly diverse services and support in a wide array of different areas, mixing and matching as appropriate to match the challenge presented."
"Everyone that I have dealt with as been knowledgeable and has been able to assist. Excellent and prompt replies to questions and issues when they arise."
"I consider them experts in their field with advice I trust. I have never had an issue or matter that someone was not able to handle quickly, competently or efficiently."
Notable Practitioners
Herb Isherwood is a well-regarded Vancouver-based lawyer and the national chair of Norton Rose Fulbright's employment and labour group. He has a vast range of experience across the full gamut of labour and employment law. His clients include notable entities in the education, maritime and telecoms industries.
"Herb is excellent. He is reliable, responsive, incredibly experienced and understands our business and people."
"Herb is responsive and strategic. He knows our organisation well and provides approaches and recommendations that best suit our industry."
"Herb is a very seasoned, knowledgeable lawyer with years of experience."
"Herb understands our business and how we operate and what we do, our risk profiles and he packages his advice in a manner that completely takes that into account."
Taryn Mackie is based in Vancouver, from where she chairs the firm's labour and employment practice in British Columbia. She advises a wide range of clients on policy grievances, collective agreements and workplace investigations.
"Taryn is very knowledgeable and provides a good level of service to clients"
"We appreciate Taryn's responsiveness, her understanding of our business, the depth of her knowledge and level of risk with her advice."
"Taryn is amazing. I can always count on her and her responsiveness. Her advice is practical and she is always willing to help. I always feel like I learn from her."
"Taryn knows the law; she's an excellent writer and she is brilliant."
"She is an incredible mix of highly effective, highly ethical and extremely compassionate."