15 lawyers · Established 1972 · City of Toronto, Waterloo Region, Middlesex County (London) and 2 more locations
One of 2,276 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 311 handling Employment & Labour Law.
Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP specializes in management-side labour and employment law and advocacy on behalf of employers. The firm has grown from seven lawyers to more than 120, and alongside its Toronto office it has opened offices in Waterloo, London, Kingston and Ottawa.
Its work isn't confined to Ontario. In recent years the firm's lawyers have acted as counsel at bargaining tables and at court and tribunal hearings in Atlantic Canada, Québec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Hicks Morley has also put together a network of management-side lawyers and firms, with a presence in each province, so clients can get local know-how and support.
Clients range from Ontario corporations and interprovincial companies to federal entities, plus American and multinational businesses that run branches in Canadian provinces. For global and international employers with operations across the country, it regularly serves as lead national counsel.
In Ottawa, the office brings specialized knowledge of federal public sector labour and employment law. George Vuicic, a labour and employment lawyer there, has advised parliamentary employers extensively on the distinct employment questions they deal with. In Kingston, Vince Panetta is the office's lead partner.
In 1972, Bob Hicks, Colin Morley, Fred Hamilton, Bruce Stewart, Tom Storie, Chris Riggs and Harvey Beresford founded Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie as a firm that represented only employers, public and private, large and small, on labour and employment matters.
The Toronto office dates from the 1972 founding and is still the base for work across the GTA and the rest of the province. Offices elsewhere followed: Waterloo in 1989, for a growing base of clients in that region; London in 1993, for southwestern Ontario; and Kingston in 1999, for organizations and businesses in eastern Ontario.
Christopher Riggs led the firm as managing partner from 1994 to 2002, and Stephen Shamie held the same role for 18 years. Craig Rix is now the managing partner and practises labour and employment law out of Toronto.
In January 2013, three labour and employment lawyers, Henry Dinsdale, Jeffrey Goodman and Michael Smyth, moved over from Heenan Blaikie LLP to become partners at Hicks Morley. Douglas K. Gray, who practised with the firm from 1978 to 2006, was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice for Ontario while a lawyer at Hicks Morley.
Hicks Morley advises and represents more than 15 universities on matters such as academic issues, labour arbitrations, bargaining and privacy. In the college sector it acts in different roles for the 24 Ontario colleges, the College Employer Council and Colleges Ontario, and it's increasingly asked to handle workload resolution arbitrations (WRAs).
The healthcare group acts for well over 100 hospitals and other Ontario healthcare providers. It represents them before bodies including the Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal, the Ontario and Canadian human rights tribunals, and the Ontario Labour Relations Board, as well as the WSIB and its Appeals Tribunal.
The pensions group represents employers and plan administrators in court, at arbitration and at the Financial Services Tribunal. It has also acted as pension counsel on significant restructurings under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act.
The firm's litigators act for private and public sector clients in class actions over dismissal and statutory severance, overtime, pension and retiree benefits, and retention bonuses. Beyond trials and hearings, they're regularly counsel before the Divisional Court, the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Federal Court.
Our guide: Litigation and Dispute Resolution in Toronto
Labour relations sits at the root of the firm's core business. Hicks Morley advises and represents employers in every industry sector on matters under the Ontario Labour Relations Act and the Canada Labour Code.
Our guide: Severance Pay in Ontario: What a Calculator Can and Can't Tell You
In the arts sector, the firm has negotiated collective agreements with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) for several performing arts centres. For sport, its services include guidance on Safe Sport (UCCMS) complaints and how the code is read.
Provincially regulated casinos and lotteries are among its hospitality clients. Its lawyers give talks at the Hotel Human Resources Professional Association and keep up with events run by groups such as Tourism Toronto and the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.
Hicks Morley acts for employers when orders issued against them go on to be challenged at the Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal. Its lawyers also give webinars and full-day seminars to employers and employer groups on what the legislation requires.
Wheelchair accessible
By appointmentHicks Morley takes a team approach, so clients can draw on the combined skills and knowledge of its lawyers. Its service commitments are specific: returning calls and emails promptly, meeting deadlines, and preparing ahead to improve the odds of a favourable outcome in any proceeding.
Knowledge management is a full-time job at the firm. Dedicated knowledge management lawyers work with IT specialists on ways to share knowledge and work product, and with the firm's librarian they track new case law and legislation every day. The library holds tens of thousands of arbitration decisions, reported and unreported, plus unreported court decisions.
77 King Street West, 39th Floor, Box 371, TD Centre, Toronto, ON M5K 1K8
The Toronto office is on the 39th floor of 77 King Street West, in the TD Centre. The complex was among the final projects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed before the architect's death in 1969, and its first black steel and glass tower at King and Bay opened in 1968. TD Centre received heritage designation under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2003, and the bank has kept many of Mies' original design decisions.
The regional offices sit in central spots. Waterloo's is at 150 Caroline Street South in the heart of the city, London's is in the middle of downtown London, and Kingston's is in the heart of downtown Kingston. In Ottawa, the office is at 150 Metcalfe Street, Suite 2000.
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