She/Her
April Kosten is a partner in the McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s National Labour & Employment Group in Calgary and one of Canada’s leading labour and employment lawyers. Known for her strategic insight and deep command of workplace law, April advises employers on complex, high-stakes issues at the intersection of labour, employment, human rights, and privacy law. Her practice spans the full range of workplace concerns, from day-to-day advisory work to complex disputes. Clients rely on her for guidance on collective bargaining and the administration of collective agreements, workplace investigations, accommodation and disability issues, harassment and human rights matters, and the interpretation and application of provincial and federal employment legislation. April regularly advises on executive employment arrangements, workplace restructurings, employee terminations, and restrictive covenants, as well as labour, employment, and privacy considerations arising in mergers and acquisitions.
Recognized as one of Canada’s leading authorities on workplace alcohol and drug testing, April is frequently called upon to help organizations design and implement compliant policies and navigate the evolving legal landscape in this area. Her ability to analyze legislation in depth while anticipating emerging legal and operational challenges allows clients to address risk proactively and build resilient workplace policies. Clients are also supported by April’s extensive advocacy experience. She has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Court of Appeal of Alberta, the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, the Provincial Court of Alberta, the Alberta Labour Relations Board, and numerous arbitration boards, representing employers in wrongful dismissal actions, labour arbitrations, human rights complaints, and a wide range of employment disputes.
Beyond her practice, April is an active contributor to the legal and business community. She regularly speaks and writes on workplace law developments and serves on the Legislative Review Committee of the Alberta Branch of the Canadian Bar Association and the Privacy Committee of the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers. April’s expertise is consistently recognized by leading client and peer reviewed directories, including Chambers Canada, The Lexpert Legal Directory, Best Lawyers in Canada, The Legal 500 Canada, Expert Guides, and the Women in Business Law Expert Guide. In 2023, she was named a Lexpert Rising Star, Leading Lawyer Under 40.