Simon Archer, Employment Attorney in the United States

Simon Archer likes to get the deal done. He helps trade unions negotiate agreements and settle disputes so that promises are kept – especially pension promises. Simon works to protect the wages, working conditions and retirement security of his clients and their families. To do this, he works with trade unions, retiree associations and boards of trustees across Canada, advising on negotiating pension and benefits, trust administration and fiduciary issues, public interest litigation, insolvencies, corporate accountability and governance.

Others have noticed. He is regularly consulted on regulatory and legislative change across Canada. In 2016, he was appointed by Ontario’s Minister of Finance to represent the interests of workers and unions in a review of the regulations that apply to Ontario pension funds. From 2006-2008, he served as lead researcher for the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions before joining another union-side labour firm where he represented trade unions and retiree groups in a wide variety of pension, benefits and trust law matters.

All this means that Simon also does a lot of writing and public speaking, training with clients, and teaching at law schools. He covers subjects like pensions 101, human rights and transnational corporate accountability and labour law and reform. He recently co-edited a book of essays written in honour of Harry Arthurs, the father of Canadian labour law, and Simon’s mentor. He also recently edited a LERA research volume on the contradictions of pension fund capitalism.

When not at the shop, Simon’s often trying something new. He can be found playing footie (soccer, of course) at Polson Pier, cooking up a new vegan dish, or trying to complete a parsva bakansa pose without falling over. He also might be getting grease under his fingernails by restoring antique espresso machines on his workbench. His best work was a full restoration of a 1967 Olympia Cremina, now on display in his kitchen.

Simon attended Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario bar in 2002, but he can’t seem to stay away from school. He is a co-director of the Comparative Research in Law and Political Economy Forum at Osgoode Hall Law School and a Fellow at Kings College London. And if that were not enough, he is also a loyal member of the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers and the Association of Canadian Pension Management, and a former executive member of the Pension Benefits section of the Ontario Bar Association.