Biography

Spotlight

Clients are quick to commend Murray's "very timely, well thought-out and balanced approach." He advises on pensions and benefits disputes as well as regulatory matters. Interviewees find him to be "an extremely experienced, thoughtful legal expert."

- Chambers Canada, 2021 Guide

Murray is the head of Western Canada's largest and most experienced Pensions and Benefits Law Group. He has practiced exclusively in the pension and benefits area since 1994. His clients are boards of trustees and other sponsors of pension and benefit plans in the public and private sectors in British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.

He has significant experience advising clients with respect to the reorganization and modernization of their pension and benefit plans, as well as their governing documents.  He assisted with the introduction of joint trusteeship to pension plans in the British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba public sectors, and currently acts for more than a dozen joint boards of trustees of public sector pension and benefit plans. 

While Murray is a solicitor, he regularly provides strategic direction and technical support in pension and benefit litigation matters.

Professional Activities

  • Pension and Benefits Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (B.C. Branch) (1993 – 1995) and (2008 – 2010), Chair
  • International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Member
  • International Pension and Employee Benefits Lawyers Association (IPEBLA), Member
  • Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute, Member

Community Activities

  • Forest Hills Little League (North Vancouver), Coach (2004-2012)
  • Lawyers Assistance Program of BC Society, Board Member (2001-2007)

Recognitions & Rankings

Recognitions & Rankings

  • Thomson Reuters "Stand-out Lawyer" 2024
  • Chambers Canada 2024: recognized for Pensions & Benefits - Nationwide (Band 1)
  • Best Lawyers in Canada 2006-2024: recognised for Employee Benefits Law
  • The Legal 500 Canada 2021-2024recommended as a Leading Individual in the Pensions category
  • Best Lawyers in Canada: 'Lawyer of the Year': Employee Benefits Law (Vancouver), 2013, 2018, 2021 and 2024
  • Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (2023-2024): recommended as a leading practitioner for Pensions and Employee Benefits (Employer)
  • Who's Who Legal:
    • recommended in Labour, Employment & Benefits (Canada) 2023
    • recommended in Labour, Employment & Benefits (Global Guide) 2023
  • Lexpert Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada: recognized for Pensions and Employee Benefits law
  • 2018 Lexpert Guide to US/Canada Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada: recognized for Labour & Employment
  • Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory: AV Peer Review rated
  • Best Lawyers: Employee Benefits Law Lawyer of the Year in Vancouver for 2011

Experience

Experience

Pension and Benefit Experience (Contentious Matters) 

Involved in disputes over or involving:

  • Collection of exit levies from employers leaving non collectively bargained multi-employer pension plans and health and welfare trusts
  • Entitlement to pre-retirement death benefits
  • Recovery of benefit overpayments, including recovery on account of recovery from third party
  • Disability benefit denial
  • Systemic or ad hoc failure to enroll in pension or benefit plan, and collection of resulting arrears
  • Errors in pension estimates and similar communication, and allegations of detrimental reliance
  • Trustee deadlock resolution
  • Registration of pension plan amendments converting floating indexing to fixed indexing
  • Entitlement to post-retirement group benefits, and closure of such programs to new entrants
  • Integration of registered pensions plans with Canada Pension Plan
  • Enhanced early retirement entitlement

Pension and Benefits Experience (Non-Litigious Matters)

  • Advises over 30 boards of trustees of multi-employer pension or benefit plans
  • Helped with every conversion to date of a British Columbia DC pension plan to a Target Benefit plan
  • Assisted several boards of trustees and employers transition from single employer pension or benefit arrangements to multi-employer arrangements
  • Assisted several disability plan sponsors introduce “quarantine clauses” and other plan modifications in response to COVID-19
  • Assisted in several mergers of health and welfare trusts and employee life and health trusts
  • Acted as lead negotiator for employer in the collective bargaining of the reorganization of a significant British Columbia public sector pension plan
  • Helped introduce Saskatchewan's first target benefit pension plan
  • Chaired Union Management Task Force constituted to determine future pension arrangements for a large public sector employer – implemented unanimous report accepted by all parties
  • Conducted review of governance structure of staff pension plan of significant public sector employer, and implemented recommendations
  • Helped introduce joint trusteeship to several public sector pension plans in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba
  • Advises trustees and other plan sponsors on fiduciary liability
  • Drafts,  and amends and restates plan texts and trust agreements for RPPs, health and welfare plans, and employee life and health trusts
  • Drafts and implements supplemental pension arrangements
  • Drafts and implements letters of credit trust arrangements to secure supplemental pension arrangements
  • Helped establish new defined benefit multi-employer pension plan
  • Prepares opinions on, and liaises with regulators and plan sponsors regarding, surplus ownership, contribution holidays and payment of administrative expenses

News & Publications

News & Publications

Speaking Engagements

Speaking Engagements

Murray has chaired and presented at the Pension and Employee Benefits Law conferences for over 22 years. Some of his most recent engagements include:

"Recent Legal Developments" by Murray Campbell, at the Pacific Business & Law Institute's 'Essential Tasks of Pension and Benefit Plan Trustees' Conference (2024).

“Legal and Legislative Developments Across Canada", 47th Annual Canadian Employee Benefits Conference, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Calgary, Alberta, (August 10-13, 2014), Panelist

"Recent Legal Developments", 20th Annual Essential Tasks of Pension and Benefit Plan Trustees Conference, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Vancouver, BC, (February 26, 2014), Chair and Speaker

“Legal and Legislative Developments Across Canada", 45th Annual Canadian Employee Benefits Conference, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Orlando, Florida, (November 18-21, 2012), Panelist

“Legal and Legislative Developments Across Canada”, 42nd Annual Canadian Employee Benefits Conference, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Las Vegas, Nevada, (November 22-25, 2009), Panelist

“Negotiating Investment Management Contracts for Trustees and Administrators”, 42nd Annual Canadian Employee Benefits Conference, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Las Vegas, Nevada, (November 22-25, 2009), Speaker

  • “Recent Legal Developments”, 30th Annual Essential Tasks of Pension and Benefit Plan Trustees Conference, Vancouver, BC, February 21, 2024, Chair and Speaker
  • "Recent Legal Developments", 19th Annual Essential Tasks of Pension and Benefit Plan Trustees Conference, Vancouver, BC, February 27, 2013, Chair and Speaker
  • "Legal Update", 2012 BC Pension Forum, March 12, 2012, Speaker
  • "Recent Legal Developments", February 22, 2012, Chair and Speaker
  • "Legal and Legislative Developments Across Canada", September 11-14, 2011, Panelist
  • "Statutory Reform - What It Means to My Plan", September 11-14, 2011, Speaker
  • "Recent Legal Developments", February 23, 2011, Chair and Speaker
  • "Current Pension and Benefits Issues", September 23-25, 2010, Speaker
  • "Recent Legal Developments", January 27, 2010, Chair and Speaker
  • "Recent Legal Developments", February 24, 2009, Chair and Speaker
  • "Employee Benefit Plans in Global Transactions" and "Post-Closing Integration Issues", November 20-22, 2008, Speaker
  • "Legal and Legislative Developments, Western Canada", August 2008, Speaker
  • "New Legal Challenges Facing Trustees and Plan Administrator", May 2008, Speaker
  • "3rd Annual, The Essential Course in Pensions, The Legal and Practical Guide for Lawyers and Other Professionals", October 2007, Speaker
  • "Legal and Legislative Developments, Western Canada", August 2007, Speaker
Murray Campbell, Lawson Lundell Photo
Vancouver
t 604.631.9187
f 604.669.1620
* Law Corporation

Assistant Contact

Bar Admissions

  • Alberta (1985) (inactive)
  • British Columbia (1990)
  • Saskatchewan (2021)

Education

University of Saskatchewan (B.Comm., 1983)

Osgoode Hall Law School (LL.B., 1984)

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