Canada law firm

Brian P. Smeenk
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
333 Bay Street, Suite 2400
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2T6
416/868-3438

Brian P. Smeenk (Full bio) is a partner with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP and practices in the firm's Toronto, Ontario office. Since 1981, his practice has focused on management-side labour and employment law. Mr. Smeenk represents both private sector and public sector employers, including many multi-national corporations. As counsel, he appears regularly before administrative tribunals such as arbitration boards, labour relations boards, employment standards adjudicators, and human rights boards of inquiry. He also represents clients in employment-related litigation, including appeals at all levels. He has extensive experience in labour negotiations for a wide variety of employers in the private and public sectors. In 1995, he was named to national mediation-arbitration panels chaired by Mr. Justice George Adams to resolve national railroad strikes involving CP Rail and five of its unions. Among his many large institutional clients, he represents York University, one of Canada's largest, in its labor negotiations with support staff. He also represents two of the largest teaching hospitals in the Toronto area. He is past president of the Human Resources Professionals' Association of Toronto, past chair of the Toronto Area Industrial Relations Association and past chair of the Ontario Bar Association Education Law Section. Email: bsmeenk@fasken.com

Karen M. Sargeant
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
333 Bay Street, Suite 2400
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2T6
416/868-3475

Karen M. Sargeant (Full bio) is a partner with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP and practices in the firm's Toronto, Ontario office. She was called to the British Columbia bar in 1996 and to the Ontario bar in 1997. Her practice is focused on representing employers in a wide range of labour and employment issues. She also advises regularly on employment issues in corporate transactions. Karen's broad experience and expertise includes wrongful dismissal, human rights, employment standards, workplace safety and insurance, union relations, labour arbitrations and pay equity. She has represented employers before boards of arbitration and administrative tribunals, such as the Ontario Labour Relations Board, Ministry of Labour Employment Practices Branch, Human Rights Tribunal, Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal and Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal. Karen is a popular speaker at conferences on employment and labour matters, and also writes regular articles for a number of legal publications. She is an editor of Northern Exposure, a blog published by HRHero.com, and of Fasken Martineau's weekly labour employment and human rights bulletin, HR Space. Email: ksargeant@fasken.com

Firm Practice Areas: Aboriginal Law, Antitrust/Competition & Marketing, Asia Pacific, Banking & Financing, Communication, Complex Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Construction, Emerging Global Business, Energy & Environmental Law, Financial Institutions, Forestry, Global Mining, Government Relations and Ethics, Health Law, Insolvency & Restructuring, Insurance and Product Liability, International Law, Labour, Employment & Human Rights, Municipal Law, Privacy and Information Protection, Public-Private Partnerships, Real Estate, Securities and Mergers & Acquisitions, Tax (includes Wills, Estates and Charities), Technology & Intellectual Property

Number of Attorneys: 650

Office Locations: Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto, Ontario; Calgary, Alberta; Ottawa, Ontario; Montréal, Québec; Québec City, Québec; London, U.K.; Johannesburg, South Africa

The Canada members of the Employers Counsel Network also write Northern Exposure. Click here to learn more about the newsletter.

Member firms of the Employers Counsel Network practice law independently and not in a relationship for the joint practice of the law.