Does UPFH represent individual workers, or only unions?

Both. UPFH represents trade unions and professional associations, and it also advises and represents individual employees and retirees in matters such as pension and benefit disputes, wrongful dismissal and workplace human rights complaints.

I'm a Hudson's Bay Company retiree. Can UPFH help with my pension?

UPFH was appointed Representative Counsel for Hudson's Bay Company's non-unionized employees, former employees and retirees in the company's CCAA insolvency proceedings, and it has represented pensioners and employees in similar proceedings involving Sears Canada and Nordstrom Canada.

Can UPFH defend me if I've been charged with a criminal offence?

Yes. UPFH's criminal lawyers defend people facing a range of prosecutions and have appeared at every level of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

What if I think my employer violated my human rights at work?

UPFH practises human rights and constitutional law alongside its labour and employment work. It describes this part of its practice as public interest litigation intended to protect and broaden human rights for workers and the wider community.

Is UPFH hiring articling students?

UPFH runs a 2L summer program and a 10-month articling program for law students interested in labour law and social justice work, and it follows the Law Society of Ontario's guidelines and timelines for student recruitment.

Are UPFH's client updates available in French?

Some of UPFH's public notices, including its updates for Hudson's Bay Company pensioners, are posted in both English and French.

Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson LLP

About Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson LLP

Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson LLP (UPFH) is a labour law firm at 555 Richmond St. W. in downtown Toronto. UPFH was created in its present form in 2012, but its roots go back to one of the first union-side labour law firms founded in Ontario in the 1960s. The firm has grown from a small firm with a handful of lawyers into a team of about 45 people, and all four names on the door, Ursel, Phillips, Fellows and Hopkinson, still belong to lawyers working at the firm today.

Labour law has been UPFH's main focus for almost five decades. The firm also practises employment law, human rights and constitutional law, civil litigation, professional discipline and regulation, and criminal defence, appearing at every level of court up to the Supreme Court of Canada. UPFH has acted as Representative Counsel for employees and retirees in major insolvency proceedings, obtaining protection for Air Canada employees' pension benefits in 2004, Algoma Steel retirees' pension and health benefits in 2018, and Sears Canada employees' termination pay in 2020, and it now represents pensioners and employees connected to Hudson's Bay Company and Nordstrom Canada in similar CCAA proceedings. During the pandemic, UPFH was among the first firms to litigate whether labour arbitrations could proceed virtually while workplaces were locked down.

Practice areas

Employment & Labour Law

Administrative & Regulatory Law

Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Criminal Defence

Milestones & recognition

UPFH traces its roots to one of the first union-side labour law firms founded in Ontario in the 1960s, and it was created in its present form in 2012.
Susan Ursel, one of the firm's namesakes, was named to the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Justices in 2016.
Susan Ursel received the 2019 Law Society of Ontario Medal, recognizing achievements in labour and employment law and work advancing equality rights for LGBTQ+ communities.
In 2026, UPFH was appointed Representative Counsel for HBC Pensioners in proceedings over the surplus in the Hudson's Bay Company Pension Plan.
UPFH's website carries recognition badges from the Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms rating programs.

In the community

Susan Ursel, one of the firm's namesakes, has helped found, lead or advise several public-interest law organizations, including Pro Bono Law Ontario and the Association of Human Rights Lawyers.

Good to know

Wheelchair accessible

Lawyers 25

This firm’s lawyers at a glance

Called to the bar: 2002–2007 · median 21 years in practice 2 of 25 lawyers
Law schools: Osgoode Hall Law School (9), University of Toronto (7), Queen's University (3), University of Ottawa (2), Universite de Sherbrooke, University of Windsor 23 of 25 lawyers
Languages on the roster: English, French, Portuguese

Who handles what

The neighbourhood

UPFH's office at 555 Richmond St. W. sits in the part of downtown Toronto known as the Fashion District, a name locals also remember as the Garment District. One commercial listing for the building describes the area this way: historic textile factories and warehouses have given way to contemporary boutiques, residences and offices.

It's also a neighbourhood with its own labour history. In September 1986, a thousand garment workers struck against eighteen factories along nearby Spadina Avenue, the first industry-wide walkout in the district since the 1930s. Most of the strikers were immigrant women, and after four days they went back to work with better pay and benefits. UPFH, a firm built around representing unions and workers, now practises out of the same part of the city where those workers organized.

Frequently asked questions

Does UPFH represent individual workers, or only unions?: Both. UPFH represents trade unions and professional associations, and it also advises and represents individual employees and retirees in matters such as pension and benefit disputes, wrongful dismissal and workplace human rights complaints.
I'm a Hudson's Bay Company retiree. Can UPFH help with my pension?: UPFH was appointed Representative Counsel for Hudson's Bay Company's non-unionized employees, former employees and retirees in the company's CCAA insolvency proceedings, and it has represented pensioners and employees in similar proceedings involving Sears Canada and Nordstrom Canada.
Can UPFH defend me if I've been charged with a criminal offence?: Yes. UPFH's criminal lawyers defend people facing a range of prosecutions and have appeared at every level of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.
What if I think my employer violated my human rights at work?: UPFH practises human rights and constitutional law alongside its labour and employment work. It describes this part of its practice as public interest litigation intended to protect and broaden human rights for workers and the wider community.
Is UPFH hiring articling students?: UPFH runs a 2L summer program and a 10-month articling program for law students interested in labour law and social justice work, and it follows the Law Society of Ontario's guidelines and timelines for student recruitment.
Are UPFH's client updates available in French?: Some of UPFH's public notices, including its updates for Hudson's Bay Company pensioners, are posted in both English and French.

Where to find them

555 Richmond St. W., Suite 1200, Toronto, ON M5V 3B1 · 416-968-3333

Similar firms in City of Toronto

Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP

26 lawyers · Est. 2001

Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP is a Toronto litigation boutique that marked its 25th anniversary in July 2026. Its roughly 69 lawyers practise across commercial and civil litigation, labour and employment law,…

Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Class Actions

Employment & Labour Law

Administrative & Regulatory Law

PooranLaw Professional Corporation

16 lawyers

PooranLaw Professional Corporation is a Toronto law firm, with a second office in Windsor, focused on disability law, wills and estates, and labour, employment and human rights work for people with disabilities, their…

Wills, Estates & Trusts

Business & Corporate Law

Employment & Labour Law

Administrative & Regulatory Law

Brauti Thorning LLP

21 lawyers

Brauti Thorning LLP (BT Legal) is a Toronto litigation boutique of more than 40 legal professionals. The firm practices criminal defence, family law, civil and commercial litigation, personal injury, and professional …

Criminal Defence

Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Family Law

Personal Injury

Listing compiled from the firm’s public website in September 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗