Michael Wolpert
Pensions, Employment Benefits and Executive Compensation
My expertise lies in the areas of Pensions, Benefits and Executive Compensation. I provide my clients insight and practical counsel about legal and regulatory issues, both provincial and federal, surrounding retirement plans, employment benefits, executive compensation and other related human resource issues. When business transactions come into play, I advise clients on the pension and benefit implications. In addition to providing support on pension and benefit litigation, I assist clients with service provider agreements and the drafting of plan and trust documents. I am also well versed in the legal aspects of governing, administering and documenting group benefit plans, including non-pension post-retirement benefit plans.
For many years, I have been active in the area of legislative reform for pensions through a variety of forums. I am currently serving with my partner at Spectrum HR Law LLP, Scott Sweatman, on the Advisory Committee for the Joint Alberta-British Columbia Drafting of Pension Legislation, which was recently formed by those two governments to provide input and advice into the development of a new joint pension standards act and regulation for the two provinces.
Believing that it is important to contribute to my profession, I have been consistently active in a number of industry-related organizations. I am the Past Chair of both the National Board of Directors and the Alberta Regional Council of the Canadian Pension and Benefits institute, a past member of the Board of Directors of the Human Resources Association of Calgary, a member of the Editorial Board of "Pension Planning" and executive member of the National Pensions and Benefits Law Section and Past Chair of the Southern Alberta Pensions and Benefits and Corporate Counsel sections of the Canadian Bar Association. I am also a frequent speaker and writer on pension, benefits and executive compensation topics.
In 2012 I was honoured to be recognized again by The Best Lawyers in Canada in the specialty of Employee Benefit Plans. I am called to the bar in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.
Before we created Spectrum HR Law, I was a partner with a leading national law firm. I have been working in the legal profession since 1984, and along the way I gained invaluable experience as a senior consultant at two major international HR management consulting firms
