Howard A. Levitt

 

Counsel

 

Howard Levitt is Canada’s best known and most quoted authority on employment law. He writes a weekly column in the National Post and is the author of Canada’s leading dismissal text book, The Law of Dismissal in Canada three other texts, 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 Law of Dismissal 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 throughout the country.

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 New Brunswick Court of Appeal the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has been lead counsel in more employment law cases than any other lawyer in Canadian history, and successfully. He has regularly chaired workplace law conferences across Canada, including the Ontario Law Society, for its first ten years 2001-2009, the maximum time permitted.

Howard Levitt practices throughout Canada and has a far greater national profile than any other Canadian employment lawyer. He regularly conducts cases in eight Canadian provinces. His 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. Any lawyer can settle a case in some amount, Howard Levitt’s settlements are unsurpassed because the opposition knows that he will be an effective and tireless opponent. Unlike most employment lawyers, he conducts his own trials and his record of success is unparalleled.

Howard Levitt also practises all aspects of management 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, Saskatchewan, 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 32 years, Mr. Levitt has lectured at seminars across Canada, appearing at over 400 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 senior executives. He is part of the Levitt LLP lawyers in the Toronto office.

Mr. Levitt is known for aggressively defending his clients.

Bar Memberships

He has received calls to the Bars of Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School’s Negotiation and Advanced Negotiation Programmes.

Publications and Media Appearances

• Workplace Law Columnist for the National Post 1999 to date;
• Formerly a columnist for the Toronto Star 1994-96, 1998-99;
• Multiple radio and television appearances across Canada on at least a monthly basis; and
• Constantly quoted in multiple newspapers and magazines.

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 Washington Post;
• The New York Times;
• The National Post;
• The Globe and Mail;
• The Toronto Star;
• The Toronto Sun;
• Law Times;
• Employment Law Report;
• Financial Times;
• Macleans;
• The Montreal Gazette;
• The Calgary Herald;
• The Vancouver Sun;
• Lawyers’ Weekly;
• Workplace News;
• Employment Law Report;
• CBC Newsworld;
• CTV National News;
• Canada AM;
• W5;
• CBC Radio;
• The Agenda with Steve Paikin;
• The Verdict with Paula Todd;
• AM 640, 680, 1010;
• FM 98.1;
• Canadian Employment Law Today;
• HR Reporter; and
• Employment Law Report.

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.

Mr. Levitt articled at what was then McCarthy & McCarthy, spending most of that year working exclusively for John J. Robinette, viewed by many as the top Canadian Lawyer of the 20th Century. He worked for thirteen years at the national law firm Lang Michener LLP before practicing at GSNH LLP.