Jeffrey Sommers > Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP > Toronto, Canada > Lawyer Profile

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
199 BAY STREET
SUITE 4000, COMMERCE COURT WEST
TORONTO, ONTARIO M5L 1A9
Canada

Work Department

Pension, Benefits & Executive Compensation

Position

Jeff has practised exclusively in the area of pensions, benefits and executive compensation for over 25 years. He frequently advises on pension and benefit issues arising in the context of corporate transactions, loan agreements, insolvencies and compliance disputes. His practice also focuses on pension investment, governance and fiduciary matters. Jeff has extensive experience assisting clients with pension plan mergers, as well as de-risking strategies, including buy-in and buy-out annuities and longevity insurance arrangements. Jeff’s clients include both public and private sector plan sponsors and administrators and a wide range of financial institutions and service providers.

Lawyer Rankings

Canada > Pensions

(Leading individuals)

Jeffrey SommersBlake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

The team at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP is well-equipped to handle the gamut of pensions matters, and is routinely instructed by Canadian government bodies, as well as corporations in the oil and gas and manufacturing segments. The group advises on jointly sponsored pension plans, pensions and employee benefit schemes, de-risking and plan consolidation and executive compensation issues. Toronto-based partners Kathryn Bush and Jeffrey Sommers lead the department; Bush focuses on advising on the structuring of pension, benefit and executive compensation arrangements and investments, while Sommers advises clients on the taxation, funding, administration and wind-up of pension and group benefit plans. Additional key partners in Toronto include Jeremy Forgie and Adam Ngan, while Natalie Bussière at the Montreal office is noted for her expertise in both employment and pensions work. In Calgary, Sean Maxwell majors on employee benefits matters and deferred compensation plans. In Toronto, Maggie Carmichael is of note at the associate level. Counsel Philipp Knoll joined the team from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in March 2022. Partner Lindsay McLeod left the firm in May 2023.