Employment Law and Wrongful Dismissal

     At Sorbara, Schumacher, McCann LLP we recognize that effective management of human resources is crucial to a  business’ success in today’s competitive marketplace.  Our lawyers have extensive experience in all aspects of Employment Law.   We have an in-depth knowledge of the current legislation effecting employers and employees and we provide meaningful advice on how new developments in the law and technology can impact your employment relationships. 

     We regularly assist our clients with the development of human resource strategies that are designed to avoid workplace disputes and litigation.  We provide pro-active advice at the formation of the employment relationship in an order to minimize the number of issues that may arise at the conclusion of the relationship.  In this regard, we assist in the negotiation and preparation of sophisticated employment contracts, collateral agreements, and restrictive covenants.

     Our lawyers constantly work to ensure that our clients are in compliance with federal and provincial regulations. In this regard, our lawyers advise on issues involving employment standards, pay equity, human rights, worker’s compensation, and occupational health and safety.   In the unionized setting, we also assist employers in the collective bargaining process, provide representation before labour tribunals and arbitrators, and advise on various other union disputes.

     Although our emphasis is on developing a strategy that will minimize disputes, we recognize that, despite appropriate pro-active measures, the termination of an employment relationship can often lead to litigation.  Accordingly, our lawyers advise employers and employees alike on issues surrounding termination and severance and we provide effective representation in wrongful dismissal and other employment-related litigation. 

     Our goal is to ensure that our clients obtain favourable results in the most cost-effective manner and in a manner that will minimize the consequences under the Income Tax Act.  Our lawyers are often able to obtain favourable settlements through effective negotiation and the use of various alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation or arbitration.  When it becomes necessary to pursue these matters before the court, however, we have a keen understanding of the issues involved in wrongful dismissal and employment-related litigation and we adopt an aggressive approach in order to secure for our clients the most favourable result possible. Indeed, our lawyers have excelled in court room advocacy before various levels of courts and tribunals in Ontario.

     Should you wish to discuss your current human resource strategy or should you be facing a potential wrongful dismissal situation, please contact: 

J. Greg Murdoch at:  gmurdoch@sorbaralaw.com or (519) 576-0460
Justin Heimpel at:    jheimpel@sorbaralaw.com or (519) 576-0460
Elizabeth A. Waywell at:  ewaywell@sorbaralaw.com or (519)-836-1510