Mandatory Retirement For Law Partners

A partner is a partner and cannot be an employee of the partnership.  That decision came today from the BC Court of Appeal in the Fasken Martineau case.

The decision is of great interest to law firms of course, and to other partnerships.  But it is also important for employers generally.  It helps to better understand who is and is not an employee entitled to human rights protections.

The case began when Mitch McCormick, a long time partner of Fasken Martineau in Vancouver, challenged the mandatory retirement provisions of his partnership agreement.  The firm asked the BC Human Rights Tribunal to dismiss the case on the basis that McCormick was a partner, not an employee, and therefore not covered by the Human Rights Code.