Photo of George Avraam

George Avraam was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1999 and has since practiced as a trial and appellate litigator. George’s practice is focused on labour, employment, public and administrative law, class actions, education law, and fiduciary duties. He has acted as lead counsel in arbitrations, administrative proceedings, trials, appeals, judicial reviews, class actions, and injunctions.

George is designated by the Law Society of Ontario as a specialist in civil litigation. He is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, has been ranked in Chambers Global and Chambers Canada and Ontario (Band 2), has been recommended as a leading lawyer in Legal 500 for Labour and Employment, and has been recommended as a leading employment lawyer in Lexpert. George is also the Chair of the North America Employment and Compensation Law Practice Group and a member of the Global Employment and Compensation Law Practice Group’s Steering Committee.

Companies doing business in Mexico can anticipate that unions will move quickly to legitimize existing collective agreements under a new government-issued protocol. Among other steps, the process entails a vote by covered employees to determine whether they support the agreement. Collective agreements must be legitimized by May 1, 2023 or they will be terminated.

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We’re delighted to announce that Law360, a leading legal media platform, today named Baker McKenzie at the top of their 2019 Global 20 list, a ranking of the top 20 law firms with the greatest global reach and expertise. During the last year, we have outperformed our competition in the size, breadth and complexity of significant global and cross-border matters, and we’re proud to receive this recognition of our work.
Continue Reading Sharing our Recent Accolades

We’re pleased to share a timely client alert from our colleagues in Mexico on a significant labour reform approved earlier this week by the Mexican Senate. The reform adds new legislative provisions to secure the rights of freedom of organization, freedom of association and collective bargaining, as well as introducing a new labour justice system

The #MeToo and Times Up movements have led to significant cultural shifts and a collective call to action to end sexual harassment and related forms of exploitation. Since many of the high profile allegations involved abuse of power and quid pro quo demands in the context of employment relationships, the impact on employers has been profound.
Continue Reading Not Just South of the Border: Canadian Employers Should Expect More Gender-Based Disputes

To mark International Women’s Day, we’re pleased to share an article from our US colleagues on recent efforts to close the gender pay gap, including salary history bans in the US and global efforts toward transparency reporting. The article, authored by Todd BoyerCaroline Burnett and Elizabeth Ebersole, can be accessed here.

The world is facing another year of unprecedented change making uncertainty the new normal for global employers. We are watching geopolitical crises play out on the global stage with a global economic slowdown waiting in the wings. Global employers must navigate a course through this highly charged, shifting competitive landscape which is compounded by the

We’re pleased to share a recent Canadian HR Reporter article, “Bill 66 could have ‘pretty profound’ impact on Ontario employers“, with insight from Andrew Shaw. If passed, Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, will amend Ontario’s employment standards, labour relations and pension benefits statutes, among other legislation, to cut business costs

As a result of a change in government leadership and recently signed laws and treaties, companies with operations in Mexico now have an important “to do” for 2019: prepare to review any unions that are “on the books” and assess compliance in this new environment. We’re pleased to share a timely client alert from our 

We’re pleased to share Baker McKenzie’s US Employment & Compensation Law Digest 2018/2019. The Digest outlines recent developments in US law relevant to employers and provides insight on global trends in gender pay, #MeToo, business change, and the modern workforce. In short, it’s an invaluable resource for Canadian companies with operations in the US

We’re pleased to share Jordan Kirkness’s article, here, on the impact to employers of Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act. The article was published in today’s edition of the Globe and Mail.

If it comes into effect in its current form, Bill 47 will reverse most of Bill 148 (the previous