Walter helps employers with their labour relations and employment matters.
Walter Pavlic offers creative and timely solutions to organizations facing employment and labour relations issues. He is experienced in collective bargaining, arbitrations, human rights complaints, employment contracts, discipline issues, dismissal planning, wrongful dismissal litigation, non-competition actions, employee fraud and recovery as well as Labour Relations Board hearings.
He has extensive experience advising employers on developing effective, up-to-date workplace policies. He has helped employers draft policies that address the legalization of recreational cannabis, COVID-19 and numerous other developments that have impacted workplaces. He advises regulatory bodies when sanctioning professionals for misconduct and acts as independent legal counsel to regulatory bodies.
Walter has served as a member of the board of directors of the Law Society of Alberta and as President of the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch. He routinely appears before administrative boards and arbitration panels, and has appeared before all levels of Alberta courts as well as the Federal Court of Canada.
Walter is a frequent speaker at provincial, national and international seminars and conferences.
- Bencher, Board of Directors, Law Society of Alberta (Alberta, 2016-2020)
- Chair, Trust Safety Committee, Law Society of Alberta (Alberta, 2020)
- Chair, Appeal Committee, Law Society of Alberta (Alberta, 2020)
- President, Canadian Bar Association (Alberta)
- Director, Legal Education Society of Alberta (Alberta)
- Director, Pro Bono Law (Alberta)
- Council Member, Canadian Bar Association (Alberta)
- Member, Conduct Committee, Law Society of Alberta (Alberta)
- Chair, Judicial Build, Habitat for Humanity
- Member, Federal Judicial Advisory Committee
- Member, Provincial Court Nominating Committee
- Member, Steering Committee, American Law Firm Association’s Labour and Employment Practice Group
- National and Provincial Chair, Labour and Employment Law Section, Canadian Bar Association
- President, Edmonton Bar Association (Edmonton)
- Chair, Boyle Street Co-op Community Services
- Presenter, “Employee Disability and Accommodation: What Employers Need to Know,” Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute (September 2022)
- Presenter, “Sanctions: Guilty, Now What?” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (September 2021)
- Presenter, “Alberta Employment Law Update 2020 Webinar Series,” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (October 2020)
- Presenter, “Investigating Professional Misconduct in the time of COVID-19 Webinar,” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (October 2020)
- Presenter, “Back to Business During Covid-19 – Western Canada Legislative Updates and Important Information,” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (July 2020)
- Presenter, “What COVID-19 Has Taught B.C. Employers and What’s to Come,” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (May 2020)
- Presenter, “COVID-19 – One Month Out. What Have We Learned and What Do We Need to Know?” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (April 2020)
- Presenter, “Alberta Employment Law Update 2019,” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (October 2019)
- Presenter, “HR Professionals Seminar: Accommodation Workshop,” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (May 2019)
- Presenter, “#Metoo: Preventing and Investigation Sexual Harassment in the Workplace,” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (March 2019)
- Presenter, “Effective Anti-Harassment Programs and Investigations for the Construction Site,” Western Construction Labour Relations Forum (Edmonton, November 2018)
- Presenter, “Weed in the Workplace: Are You Ready?” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (February 2018; October 2018)
- Presenter, “Legal Considerations Impacting Succession for Non-Profit Organizations,” Labour & Employment Seminar, MLT Aikins (Edmonton, September 2018)
- Presenter, “Responding to Employee Fraud in the Cloud Era,” Forensic & Valuation Services Conference, Association of International Certified Professional Accounts (November 2017)
- Speaker, Calgary Labour Arbitration Conference, Lancaster House (Calgary, 2011; 2012; 2013; 2015)
- “Alberta Employment Law Update,” Canadian Association of Counsel for Employers (2009; 2011; 2014)
- Chair, “Employment Law Update,” Legal Education Society of Alberta (2012)
- “Cross-Canada Employment Law Check-Up,” Canadian Association of Counsel for Employers (2011)
- Speaker, Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies National Conference (2011)
- Session Chair, “Employment Law,” 43rd Annual Refresher Course, Legal Education Society of Alberta (2010)
- “Workplace Law Update 2010,” Red Deer Chamber of Commerce (2010)
- “Managing Terminations and Layoffs,” Western Canada Employee Terminations and Restructuring Conference, Insight (2009)
- “Business Law Boot Camp – Labour and Employment Law,” Legal Education Society of Alberta (2009)
- Panellist, International Employment Law Client Seminar, American Law Firm Association
- Recognized as a Client Nominated Stand-out Lawyer, Thomson Reuters (2023)
- Named a Leading Practitioner, Employment Law (Management), Workplace Human Rights (Employer), Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
- Recognized as a Top Lawyer, Agribusiness and Cannabis, Lexpert Special Edition on Agribusiness and Cannabis (2020)
- Recognized as BV Peer Review Rated, Lexis-Nexis/Martindale-Hubbell
- Appointed Queen’s Counsel (2005)