Achkar Law
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.17 lawyers · Established 2016 · City of Toronto
One of 217 law firms listed in North York, and one of 22 handling Employment & Labour Law.
Virtual appointments
Virtual appointmentsAbout Achkar Law
Achkar Law is an employment law firm that represents both employees and employers in Ontario and British Columbia. Its work runs from wrongful and constructive dismissal and severance to human rights claims and other workplace disputes, and the firm takes these on from either side. That two-sided practice is a deliberate choice. Having acted for workers and for the businesses that employ them, its lawyers know how an opponent is likely to read a file and react to it well before the parties sit down to negotiate.
Christopher Achkar set up the firm in 2016 to practise in plain language and offer practical strategy to people facing real-world problems. Born in Lebanon, Christopher Achkar was called to the Ontario bar in 2016 and to the British Columbia bar in 2024, and still leads Achkar Law as its founder and managing partner, and is committed to advancing access to justice.
Its lawyers work from offices in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver, and clients anywhere in either province can meet with them virtually. No file gets handed off to an intake team; a licensed employment lawyer handles every matter. The firm's litigators have appeared in British Columbia's courts as well as Ontario's Superior Court of Justice, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
Practice areas
For employees in Ontario and BC
On the employee side, Achkar Law takes on terminations and severance, human rights and other workplace disputes, and disability claims, with separate guidance for each province because Ontario and BC rules on what a worker is owed aren't the same. In Ontario, it also helps people who were wrongly treated as independent contractors recover their entitlements. Most matters resolve by negotiation, but being credibly ready to litigate is often what gets a fair result.
Our guide: Severance Pay in Ontario: What a Calculator Can and Can't Tell You
For employers: advice and defence
Partner Filip Pejovic's practice is built around employers and the workplace and labour issues they face. When a claim lands, the firm defends employers in Toronto, elsewhere in Ontario and in BC against allegations of wrongful or constructive dismissal or human rights breaches, by negotiation, mediation or trial. That work reaches the BC Human Rights Tribunal, the BC Employment Standards Branch, the Ministry of Labour and collective agreement arbitration panels, plus appeals to the Divisional Court and the Court of Appeal for Ontario when they're needed.
Labour relations for unionized employers
On labour files Achkar Law acts only for the employer, negotiating collective agreements, arguing grievance arbitrations and appearing before the Ontario Labour Relations Board, in Toronto, across Ontario and in BC. Matthew Blake began on the union side, articling with a large construction union and working on arbitrations, labour board disputes and bargaining.
Long-term disability claims
For claimants in Toronto and the rest of Ontario whose long-term disability benefits were refused or cut off, Achkar Law challenges the insurer's decision, negotiates for reinstatement or a lump-sum settlement, and goes to court against the insurer if it has to.
Commercial litigation
Clifford Singh's practice pairs employment and labour law with corporate and commercial litigation, and Alexandra Maddeaux focuses on corporate and commercial disputes. Eric Blau's work extends beyond employment to defamation, real estate disputes and conflicts between shareholders or partners.
Good to know
Virtual appointmentsHow Achkar Law works
Achkar Law's way of working starts with explaining a client's situation, options and the firm's advice in terms a client can follow. It weighs what the law permits against what's sensible for a client's life and finances, and it'll tell people when they don't need to retain it yet, or at all.
Reported cases
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Baker v. Van Dolder's Home Team Inc., 2025 ONCA 829
In an appeal about whether termination provisions in an employment contract are enforceable, the court granted the Income Security Advocacy Centre and Parkdale Community Legal Services leave to intervene as a coalition. Christopher Achkar and Filip Pejovic of Achkar Law were among counsel for the respondent, Frederick Baker, who consented to the intervention.
Decisions where the firm's lawyers appeared as counsel, from public court records. Past cases don't predict future results.
Milestones & recognition
- Christopher Achkar is recognized in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a Lawyer to Watch in employment law, on both the employer and employee side.
- Christopher Achkar is listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada for Labour and Employment Law in its 2025, 2026 and 2027 editions.
- Achkar Law's recognitions include Best Law Firms and Best Lawyers 2026, HRD Canada Best HR Service Providers 2025, and the Canadian HR Reporter Excellence Award in both 2024 and 2025.
- Achkar Law's take on employment and workplace law has appeared in outlets including CBC News (2022), CTV News (2025) and The Hill Times (2025).
In the community
- Clifford Singh hosts the firm's employment law webinars, short sessions for employers and HR leaders, with recordings on topics such as AI risk at work, workplace investigations and termination clauses.
- Eric Frydman founded Jewish Lawyers of Canada, a national legal organization, and serves as its president.
- An Achkar Law essay on access to justice in Ontario, which looks at how more pro bono work might be encouraged, first ran in Canadian Lawyer.
Affiliations & connections
- Blue Door: Christopher Achkar sits on the Blue Door board of directors as treasurer.
- The Advocates' Society: Christopher Achkar is a member of The Advocates' Society.
- Toronto Lawyers Association: Christopher Achkar is a member of the Toronto Lawyers Association.
- Ontario Bar Association: Christopher Achkar is a member of the Ontario Bar Association.
- Pro Bono Ontario: Jamaal Julien of Achkar Law is a member of Pro Bono Ontario, which offers free legal help to people who don't qualify for legal aid.
- Ontario Trial Lawyers Association: Clifford Singh of Achkar Law is a member of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association.
Lawyers 17
Alexandra Maddeaux
Corporate Commercial Litigation, Associate
Alicia Ambrus
Employment Lawyer, Associate
Babak Sankani
Senior Associate Lawyer
Christopher Achkar
Founder & Managing Partner
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Clifford Singh
Partner
Employment & Labour Law
Eric Blau
Senior Employment Litigation Lawyer
Eric Frydman
Employment Lawyer, Associate
Filip Pejovic
Partner
Gareth D'Costa
Senior Employment Litigation Lawyer
Harminder Mundi
Employment Lawyer, Associate
Jamaal Julien
Employment Lawyer, Associate
Jason Jagpal
Partner
MacKenzie Campbell
Senior Litigation Lawyer
Employment & Labour LawCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Matthew Blake
Senior Associate
Nicholas Marchesan
Employment Lawyer, Associate
Petar Jovanovic
Employment Lawyer, Associate
Scott Simser
Senior Employment Litigation Lawyer
Employment & Labour Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School, University of Birmingham, University of Leicester, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law and 2 more 8 of 17 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- Arabic, English, Farsi (conversational), French, Serbian
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Achkar Law's Toronto office is Suite 908 at 4789 Yonge Street in North York, and it's the base for most of the firm's employer defence work. The address is an eleven storey office tower with retail at street level, part of the Hullmark Centre, the Kirkor Architects development at the corner of Yonge and Sheppard. An accessible, staffed entrance to Sheppard-Yonge subway station runs through the Hullmark Centre on the southeast corner of the intersection.
The surrounding district, North York City Centre, is a dense mix of condominium and office towers with shops at ground level along a six-lane stretch of Yonge Street. Through the 1970s and 80s the former City of North York pushed to build the area up as a downtown. Beyond Toronto, the firm also has offices on Laurier Avenue West in Ottawa and on Seymour Street in Vancouver.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Achkar Law act as fractional general counsel for my company on a flat monthly fee?
- Achkar Law's Fractional General Counsel program gives an organization a dedicated team for a flat monthly fee, with a defined scope, response time commitments and proactive work included. Most clients have between 10 and 500 employees. The fee is quoted after a free discovery call, and most engagements are up and running within two weeks of it.
- I'm a foreign worker looking for a job in Canada. Can Achkar Law help me with an LMIA?
- On LMIA files Achkar Law acts only for employers, not individual workers. Its Labour Market Impact Assessment work covers employers in Ontario and British Columbia, from checking eligibility and building the application to compliance and responding to inspections, and it doesn't offer job placement, recruitment, immigration or housing services to individuals.
- Does Achkar Law start with a paid strategy session or a quick call?
- Achkar Law begins with a brief intake call to check whether it's able to help. When it is, you book a paid strategy session with one of its lawyers. Calls stay confidential, and the firm commits to replying within one business day.
- Does Achkar Law work on contingency, or charge a fixed fee for a severance package review?
- Achkar Law bills employment matters by the hour and accepts contingency arrangements only in select cases. Defined tasks such as reviewing a severance package are charged at a fixed fee that's quoted before any work begins.
- Manulife or Sun Life denied my long-term disability claim. Will Achkar Law take on the insurer?
- Achkar Law handles claims against the major group insurers, among them Canada Life, Manulife and Sun Life. If negotiation doesn't settle a denied claim, the firm sues the insurer in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
- Can Achkar Law represent my unionized company before the BC Labour Relations Board?
- Achkar Law represents employers before both the BC Labour Relations Board and the Ontario Labour Relations Board on certification, unfair labour practice complaints and work stoppages.
- Can I meet an Achkar Law lawyer in Arabic, French, Serbian or Punjabi?
- Achkar Law's founder, Christopher Achkar, speaks French, English and Arabic. Filip Pejovic speaks Serbian, Harminder Mundi speaks Punjabi, and Babak Sankani has conversational Farsi.
Where to find them
4789 Yonge St Ste 908, North York, ON M2N 0G3
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Family LawReal Estate LawThis listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on the firm’s own website. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗
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