Michael is a partner in Ogletree Deakins’ Toronto office. His diverse practice spans all areas of employment law, labour law, privacy, wage and hours issues, human rights, accessibility, and employee benefits and executive compensation. Michael also has experience with class actions, appellate litigation, M&A/restructuring, and general litigation. He regularly represents employers in judicial review proceedings
Michael has appeared before the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Divisional Court, the Superior Court of Justice, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and various labour arbitrators. Michael clerked at the Divisional Court. For many years, he appeared in Divisional Court as duty counsel as part of Pro Bono Law Ontario’s amicus project.
Michael was awarded the Medal in Law for highest standing in his graduating class. He is the only graduate of Queen’s University to receive three Dean’s Gold Scholar awards for placing first in each year of the JD program.
While at Queen’s, Michael served as a research assistant in labour and employment law, including with the Centre for Law in the Contemporary Workplace.
More Legal and Business Bylines From Michael Comartin
- Unpacking the Requirements of British Columbia’s Pay Transparency Act - (Posted On Friday, November 10, 2023)
- Canada Introduces Legislation to Combat Modern Slavery in Supply Chains - (Posted On Tuesday, November 15, 2022)
- Ontario Employers Now Required to Have Written Electronic Monitoring Policies - (Posted On Tuesday, October 11, 2022)
- Canada Announces Removal of COVID-19 Border Entry Requirements - (Posted On Tuesday, September 27, 2022)
- Canada Announces Federal Holiday to Mourn Queen Elizabeth II - (Posted On Thursday, September 15, 2022)
- Ontario’s ‘Disconnecting From Work’ Policy and Manitoba’s New Accessibility Requirements—Deadlines Approaching - (Posted On Tuesday, May 03, 2022)
- Ontario Enacts Bill 88, Working for Workers Act, 2022 - (Posted On Thursday, April 21, 2022)
- Manitoba Employers’ Accessibility Standards: May 1 Deadline Looms - (Posted On Friday, April 01, 2022)
- Ontario Provides Timeline to Lift All COVID-19–Related Restrictions - (Posted On Tuesday, March 15, 2022)
- Ontario Implements New Lockdown and Revised COVID-19 Testing Guidance - (Posted On Thursday, January 06, 2022)
Michael Comartin is a National Law Review Go-To Thought Leader for keeping readers up to date on a wide variety of employment law concerns including; minimum wage requirements, pay transparency, privacy rules, and employee voting rights. Mr. Comartin has been a valuable resource on various province's COVID-19 restrictions, lay-off regulations, employer's Coronavirus screening requirements, and Canada's Emergency Wage subsidies.
The National Law Review names Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. a 2022 Go-To Thought Leader for their coverage of coronavirus news in Ontario, Canada. Authors Michael Comartin and Gloria Ilunga detailed the complicated state of Ontario’s COVID-19 testing and lockdown guidance, including the landscape surrounding mandatory remote work, gathering limits, capacity limits, and more. The article saw upwards of 35,000 readers, demonstrating the ongoing importance and widespread need for thought leadership addressing COVID rules and regulations.