Markowitz LLP
2 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 478 handling Employment & Labour Law.
Free consultationFree consultationAbout Markowitz LLP
Markowitz LLP is a small Toronto employment law firm that limits its entire practice to wrongful dismissal litigation and represents employees only, never employers. Founder Howard Markowitz holds a B.Com and a 1998 Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School, and the firm's own site says the practice grew out of a personal experience with wrongful dismissal that led to volunteer case work for dismissed employees starting in 1995. The firm describes more than two decades of Ontario wrongful dismissal litigation and says it has prosecuted more than 3,000 lawsuits over that time.
The firm works on fixed-fee terms with no charge upfront until a case is won, offers free opinions before it takes on a file, and says every retained case is taken through to trial if a fair settlement isn't reached. Howard Markowitz holds a Q.Arb arbitrator designation through the ADR Institute of Canada and once taught negotiation skills, later client service and professional ethics, for the Law Society's Bar Admissions Course. Partner Stephen Du holds both a law degree and a Chartered Accountant designation, useful for tax planning on client settlements. Markowitz LLP keeps its main office in Toronto's Forest Hill Village and a second office on University Avenue, near the courthouse where its trials are heard.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Founder Howard Markowitz earned a 1998 Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School and first represented wrongfully dismissed employees as a volunteer case worker starting in 1995.
- Received McGill University's Scarlet Key award in 1995 and later studied negotiation at Harvard Law School, where the founder ranked among the top 10% of speakers at Harvard's 1997 North American Debate Championships.
- Was a first place finalist in the American Bar Association's 1998 client counselling competition at Osgoode Hall Law School.
- Holds a Q.Arb arbitrator designation through the ADR Institute of Canada, qualifying to arbitrate employment disputes as a private judge.
- Was retained by the Law Society of Upper Canada to teach negotiation skills, and later client service and professional ethics, in the Ontario Bar Admissions Course.
- Was profiled by Canadian Lawyer Magazine in 2001 and has made more than 400 career appearances on Toronto talk radio discussing employment rights.
- Partner Stephen Du was formerly a Governor at the University of Waterloo and holds both a law degree and a Chartered Accountant designation.
Fees & payment
Flat fee
Contingency
Free consultationLawyers 2
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School 1 of 2 lawyers
Who handles what
Offices 2
The neighbourhood
Markowitz LLP's main office sits in Forest Hill Village, the small shopping strip on Spadina Road near Lonsdale Road. The area takes its name from the summer home of John Wickson and was its own incorporated village from 1923 until Toronto annexed it in 1967 along with the Village of Swansea. Today the village stretch is a compact commercial district of specialty shops, a small grocery and banking services set among the tree lined streets of one of the city's older residential neighbourhoods, a fitting base for a firm whose clients often come in for a first meeting rather than a courtroom appearance.
The firm's second office, on University Avenue, is a few steps from the Superior Court of Justice and its registrar, the setting for many of the firm's trials. Keeping a downtown office inside the same courthouse complex where wrongful dismissal actions are heard lets the firm prepare witnesses and clients on trial days without a commute across the city, which matters for a practice built entirely around litigation rather than settlement negotiated from a boardroom.
Frequently asked questions
- I think I was wrongfully dismissed from my job in Toronto. Can Markowitz LLP help?
- Wrongful dismissal litigation is the firm's entire practice. Markowitz LLP represents dismissed employees only and offers a free, detailed opinion before taking on a file, so you can find out where you stand before committing to anything.
- Does Markowitz LLP ever represent employers?
- No. The firm's site says it represents employees only in wrongful dismissal disputes, not the companies that dismiss them.
- How does the firm charge for a wrongful dismissal case?
- The firm says it works on fixed-fee terms with no charge upfront until a case is won, provides free opinions before retainer, and does not charge extra for appeals if one becomes necessary.
- Will my case have to go all the way to trial?
- Not necessarily, but the firm's site says every case it takes on is prepared and taken through trial if a fair settlement isn't reached, rather than being pressured to settle early.
- How big is Markowitz LLP and where is it located?
- The firm is a small Toronto practice with two lawyers, founder Howard Markowitz and partner Stephen Du. Its main office is in Forest Hill Village on Spadina Road, with a second office on University Avenue near the courthouse.
- Does Markowitz LLP only take cases in Toronto?
- The firm describes its wrongful dismissal litigation practice as Ontario focused, so it is not limited to clients based in Toronto itself.
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Employment & Labour LawListing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗