Pensions & Benefits | Canada

Blake, Cassels & Graydon commands widespread respect for its national pensions and benefits practice, with lawyers in Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver. The firm maintains a leading reputation across Canada, acting for clients such as government agencies, investment managers, trust companies, banks, and health and welfare funds. Its respected team often advises on heavyweight domestic and cross-border M&A transactions as well as pension fund structuring, governance and compliance, executive compensation arrangements and de-risking. The group handles a breadth of complex pensions matters, including litigation proceedings, insolvency and deficit cases and restructuring.

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt has a first-rate team which advises an enviable portfolio of blue-chip clients from both the public and private sectors. The firm maintains a strong national practice, with pensions lawyers in Toronto and Montréal capable of advising clients across the country. It is respected for its work on large-scale pensions and benefits mandates, including pension plan restructuring, insolvencies, pension investments, plan design and de-risking. The firm is further noted for its experienced representation of clients in pensions disputes and its advice on investment compliance.

Brown Mills Klinck Prezioso is an esteemed boutique law firm based in Toronto with specialist pension and benefits expertise. Its lawyers often act for public sector clients, including governmental bodies and clients in the education industry. The firm also advises wealth management firms and lenders on the pensions aspects of M&A deals, such as pension plan mergers and debt restructuring. It is also notable for providing support on pensions class action disputes.

Koskie Minsky is a go-to Canadian law firm for employee-side pensions and benefits advice. Its lawyers advise individual employees, trade unions and trustees, as well as public sector pension funds, on a wide range of matters, including plan administration and pensions litigation. Koskie is lauded for its knowledge and representation of multi-employer pension plans, and is also able to offer counsel and representation in the context of insolvency, bankruptcy and restructuring issues, in addition to pension conversions and plan administration matters. Based in Toronto, it offers services in Western Canada through its affiliated firm in Vancouver, Koskie Glavin Gordon.

Lawson Lundell is one of the dominant law firms for pensions advice in Western Canada, regularly providing services to clients across British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Yukon. The team receives accolades for its comprehensive pensions and benefits coverage, regularly handling matters such as pension plan restructuring and administration, as well as the creation, administration and review of plan documentation and contracts. Its impressive client roster includes an extensive range of entities from sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, mining and education, while its expertise extends to both employer and union-sponsored arrangements.

Fasken offers an experienced pensions team exhibiting strengths in matters ranging from the administration and governance of complex pension plans to advising on the benefits aspects of contentious claims. The firm has notable experience of pensions litigation and represents a range of international and national employers, plan administrators and agencies across various sectors, including financial services, manufacturing and energy. It maintains a strong bench in this field, with teams of pensions specialists in Vancouver, Toronto, Montréal and Calgary.

McCarthy Tétrault offers a highly regarded team primarily based in Toronto with a significant national footprint and experience advising on pension fund investments, plan consolidation and governance issues. The firm's lawyers act for clients across an array of industries - including manufacturing, energy and education - and regularly handle the pensions aspects of corporate transactions. The team also possesses multi-employer pension plan expertise and draws praise for its valuable supporting strengths in tax and trusts, as well as pensions litigation, including class actions. McCarthy Tétrault is also noted for its significant cross-border work and experience acting for multinationals in the Canadian market.

Bennett Jones fields an increasingly prominent pensions team out of Toronto, which is best known for its provision of pension regulatory and governance advice, in addition to assisting with restructuring and insolvency issues in this field. It is further active providing counsel on the pension aspects of M&A and private equity transactions, which often includes redesigning and harmonising existing plans. The firm's clientele includes provincial and national companies from the life sciences, pharmaceutical, construction and energy sectors.

Dentons is recognised for its work on pension plan wind-ups and mergers, as well as advising on the pensions and benefits aspects of M&A transactions and insolvencies. The firm is commended for its provision of strategic planning advice to provincially and federally regulated pension plans. It fields noteworthy teams of pensions lawyers in both Toronto and Vancouver, with multinational clients benefiting from their ability to call upon the firm's global network when handling cross-border matters.

Stikeman Elliott fields an able group recognised for its expertise in the pensions and benefits aspects of M&A. The firm is also highlighted for its experience advising on the administration of federally regulated plans. It has further skills advising on investment management and restructuring matters in the pensions space. With offices across the country, Stikeman's team includes accomplished pensions lawyers based in Toronto and Montréal.

Torys maintains an Ontario-centred pensions practice which is recognised for its strength in pension investment and transactional issues. The firm is noted for its ability to advise both Canadian and US companies on executive compensation and employee benefits issues. It also offers general governance advice as well as handling pension and benefit litigation. The team is adept at advising on multi-provincial strategic and regulatory matters, representing a broad range of clients, including those in the energy and financial services sectors.