Our Team

Howard Levitt is possibly Canada's best known and most quoted authority on employment law. He is the author of Canada's leading dismissal text book, The Law of Dismissal in Canada and Editor-In-Chief of the national law report, The Dismissal and Employment Law Digest, which covers every dismissal and employment law case across Canada. The text and accompanying law report is cited in more decisions across Canada than is any other text . It is used by practitioners, law schools and judges across Canada.

Mr. Levitt produced the Wrongful Dismissal video for Canada Law Book and is on the Law Times Editorial Board. He has appeared as counsel at all levels of courts across Canada, including the Alberta Court of Appeal, the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has regularly chaired workplace law conferences across Canada.

Howard Levitt's practice includes wrongful dismissal, unjust dismissal pursuant to the Canada Labour Code, human rights, sexual harassment, general harassment, breach of fiduciary duty, employment contracts, workers' compensation, workplace health and safety, injunctions restraining competition and information distribution, wrongful hiring, negligent misrepresentation in the employment context, providing clients with preventative advice and all other aspects of employment law, labour law and human resource litigation.

Howard Levitt also practises all aspects of labour relations law including certification and decertification of trade unions and in a variety of matters before labour relations boards and tribunals, employment standards and human rights tribunals and before arbitrators and adjudicators.

He commonly appears at grievance and interest arbitrations, employment standards fact findings and adjudications, the Canada Labour Relations Board, Ontario Labour Relations Board, Human Rights Tribunals, Employment Standards Referees, Workers' Compensation and Appeal Tribunals.

He is the labour and employment counsel for many of Canada's largest corporations and acts as chief spokesperson for numerous collective bargaining negotiations in a variety of industries. He conducts lobbying at the Federal and Provincial level on behalf of several clients regarding labour legislation.

Mr. Levitt regularly appears as counsel across Canada and appears regularly in many cases in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as well as in Ontario, where he resides. Mr. Levitt is commonly sought as counsel, by other lawyers, to render second opinions to support their clients or as co-counsel.

He taught arbitration law at the University of Toronto for several years in the early 1980's.

Over the past 20 years, Mr. Levitt has lectured at seminars across Canada, appearing at over 100 conferences in the employment law area, including conferences for the Law Society, Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario and the Canadian Bar Association. Mr. Levitt has also conducted labour law seminars for Canadian Manufacturers' Association, Personnel Associations of various cities, Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants as well as for other management and professional groups across Canada.

Mr. Levitt acts for many national employers in a variety of industries as well as having acted for many executives. He is part of the Lang Michener Employment & Labour Law Group of 10 lawyers in the Toronto office.

Mr. Levitt is known for aggressively defending his clients.

BAR MEMBERSHIPS

He has been called to the Bars of Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia and Nova Scotia.

PUBLICATIONS and MEDIA APPEARANCES

• Workplace Law Columnist for the National Post 1999;
• Formerly a columnist for the Toronto Star 1994 - 96, 1998 - 99;
• Labour commentator for CFRB (Canada's largest radio station);
• Multiple appearances on The Verdict with Paula Todd;
• Monthly appearances on City TV, answering questions from the public on issues of employment and labour law.

Mr. Levitt has been the subject of and quoted in numerous articles in the Canadian news media as well as publications, such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, in the United States. He has also been quoted in the United Kingdom.

He has also been quoted in:

• The Globe and Mail;
• The Financial Post;
• Law Times;
• Employment Law Report;
• Financial Times;
• Macleans;
• The Montreal Gazette;
• Lawyers' Weekly;
• Workplace News;
• Employment Law Report;
• CBC Newsworld;
• CTV National News;
• Canada AM;
• W5;
• CBC Radio;

He has been involved in many of Canada's most high profile cases in his area.

He has been listed in all editions of Lexpert, a directory of the top 500 lawyers in Canada as a leader in employment law.  He has been quoted in an American Lawyer Media/Lexpert.  He is recognized in the 6th Edition of The World's Leading Labour and Employment Lawyers published by Euromoney.