Pensions and benefits now comprise a significant portion of employees’ remuneration. They are critical to quality of life for both employees and retirees. As costs rise, and the regulatory environment changes, the plans that provide these important benefits have come under stress. Employer insolvencies have undermined benefit security and jeopardized retiree rights in virtually every sector of the economy. Plans for public employees have come under new scrutiny, as fiscal pressures mount. Multi-employer plans (MEPs) face tougher challenges in regard to their plan designs, investments, administration and communications.
Koskie Glavin Gordon is well experienced in all facets of the pension and benefit industry. Under a single roof, our lawyers work together to provide counsel and advocacy services to boards of trustees, trade unions and employees and retirees. Through our affiliation, we offer litigation, corporate, tax and commercial expertise for clients engaged in complex transactions or court proceedings. Our pool of expertise allows us to see every issue from multiple perspectives and to bring many talents, skills and sources of knowledge to bear on every issue.
Our affiliate, Koskie Minsky, has counseled clients in forward looking innovations that have resulted in the joint sponsorship of major pension plans across Canada and the creation of the country’s first employee life and health trust in the auto sector (2009). Koskie Minsky are legal counsel to more Canadian MEPs and negotiated cost plans than probably any other law firm in the country. In the investment sphere, we act on one side only – the side of benefit plans and their members – and not for banks or service providers. Koskie Glavin Gordon lawyers have litigated many of Canada’s leading cases in regard to fiduciary duties, corporate insolvencies, pension plan wind-ups, pension and benefit restructurings, plan surpluses, and plan entitlements under pension benefits legislation.
In this area of law, our lawyers are ranked in Chambers Global, are consistently recommended in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, and are recognized in the Best Lawyers in Canada publication.