A New Era of Calgary Employment Lawyers. We’re Different.

Our Services

We are dedicated employment lawyers and exclusively practice workplace law. We provide legal advice and representation to employees in all areas of workplace related legal matters. Our employment lawyers are true subject-matter enthusiasts and are dedicated to the cause. In fact, we know employment law so well, we translate it into plain English for you.

We will provide you with client-focused advice and representation in the following areas of employee-side employment law.

Wrongful Dismissal and Severance Review

You may have recently been “laid off”, “packaged-out”, “fired”, “terminated” or “let go” with or without cause being alleged. Or you may be facing an impending termination event or layoff because your employer is engaged in a merger, acquisition or amalgamation that threatens your continued employment and your position has been deemed “redundant” and targeted for elimination. This is a common situation our Calgary clients face all the time.

Whatever language your employer used or is about to use to end your employment relationship, it’s time to start thinking about protecting your severance rights and entitlements as an employee before it’s too late – we don’t want to scare you, but there are time requirements that must be complied with. We also don’t want to see your employer unjustly minimize what you receive so do not sign anything until you have had us review any proposed offer and terms of release. Even if your employer has said you have done something seriously wrong or have committed repeated misconduct and has terminated you for cause without any compensation payable to you, in many instances this is only a scare tactic used by employers to avoid their responsibilities to provide you with compensation or to force you into a quick and small settlement. What we mean is, don’t accept what they tell you at face value. Take it with a grain of salt and have us first review the facts because as is often the case, your employer may simply be blowing smoke.

Wrongful Dismissal Lawyer Calgary

Photo courtesy of Ana Shahnovich

Wrongful Dismissal Lawyer Calgary

Photo courtesy of Ana Shahnovich

“Contractors”: we’re also talking to you.

Don’t let your company-imposed title of “contractor” fool you – there is a good chance that, in reality, you’re actually an employee and entitled to severance, regardless of what “Bob” in Human Resources tells you. Even if you are a “contractor”, you’re probably a “dependent contractor” and, again, entitled to an amount of reasonable notice, severance or pay-in-lieu of notice like any other employee. The fact is, Human Resources does not work for you, nor are they legally trained – we advise against accepting what they have to say without consulting an effective and experienced employment lawyer. While we’re at it here, disregard the old rumor that spread around employers like wildfire – one year of service does not always equal one month of notice or pay-in-lieu. We think that’s just lazy and misleading thinking.

We could bore you with an in-depth discussion of the confusing legalese – because believe us, we speak that language, too– but we’d rather focus on what matters most to you – your rights in plain English. We can and want to help. Let’s discuss what happened and get you on the road to a settlement.

Your employer may have already made or may be proposing unilateral changes to the terms of your employment agreement, without your consent, regarding compensation (i.e. salary, hourly wage, commissions, bonuses), benefits or your job title and/or duties and responsibilities. Or you may be experiencing harassment, bullying, intimidation or discrimination at the hands of your boss, a colleague, vendor or service provider while your employer or Human Resources Department does nothing to stop it.

Whatever the case may be, your employer may have breached an essential term of your employment agreement entitling you to compensation in a manner no different than if you had been blatantly fired or laid off without cause. Again, we don’t want to scare you, but there are time requirements that must be complied with. Allow us to step in and look out for your best interests while we are still able to. We’ll do our best to put an immediate end to this conduct and get you what you deserve – it’s what we do best.

Constructive Dismissal

Human Rights, Harassment, Bullying, Intimidation and Discrimination

It’s both surprising and concerning to note that, even in 2019, employers still engage in prohibited forms of human rights violations and discrimination in the workplace – and more often than you think.

We know all too well how damaging this can become to your well-being and family life.

The only difference as between prohibited human rights violations and discrimination at work in the heyday of the 1960s and 2019 is that, today, this conduct is often much more subtle, discreet and indirect – but make no mistake about it, it is still just as unlawful. Employers often have sophisticated in-house or outside legal counsel and other professionals on staff to assist them in making otherwise direct or blatant discrimination appear benign and due to some other valid reason. Or they will otherwise make it appear as though they have done their due diligence in addressing and rectifying the concerns, without any real good faith effort to do so. They are well-aware of their obligations under provincial and federal laws and will do what it takes to avoid the appearance of culpability. This crafty behaviour unfortunately sometimes enables the employer to escape liability, to the detriment of you, the employee. Have no fear, we won’t let this happen. We promise.

If you think you may have become the subject of workplace harassment, bullying, intimidation or discrimination because of your ethnicity, country of origin, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, age, marital or family status, or sexual orientation, let’s put an end to it.

Allow us to talk with you and discuss what’s been going on.

If we find evidence of a workplace human rights violation or harassment, bullying, intimidation and discrimination because of a protected ground, we’ll ensure that this conduct ends immediately and that you are reasonably accommodated. If it does not end, and you are not reasonably accommodated, we will vigorously prosecute a human rights complaint and/or a civil action for constructive dismissal and a claim for damages on your behalf against your employer. We’ve got your back and really dislike bullies. Like, really dislike.

Employment, non-competition / non-Solicitation & Non-Disclosure Agreements

There is really nothing we hate more than seeing a long-term employee (that is, employees with 10+ years of service) laid off with nothing more provided to them from their employer than eight weeks pay-in-lieu of notice. Yes, this is the Alberta statutory minimum amount of notice or pay-in-lieu (i.e. severance) for an employee with 10 or more years of service, which many employers are now validly limiting their employees to. Why do we hate this so much? That’s simple – it’s easily preventable and can represent a fraction of what you would otherwise receive by way of severance or notice if this clause was not part of your employment agreement.

Have your employment agreement reviewed by us before you sign.

We’ll determine whether this has been validly drafted and if we catch this early enough, and if your employer really wants to hire you as much as they say they do, we’ll make sure they get rid of this unfair and one-sided clause to protect you and your family from a costly layoff. If you have already been terminated, before signing any settlement agreement or release, again, have us review your employment agreement’s termination clause – just because it’s there does not mean its enforceable. Human Resources and/or lawyers not specialized in employment law often make drafting mistakes – let us pick the clause apart and show you why it’s likely invalid.

You’ve probably heard of a non-compete or non-competition clause before. If you haven’t, these clauses basically aim to prevent you from competing against your former employer in the event that they terminate your employment or you resign. Sounds unfair, right? In our opinion, a non-compete can serve an important purpose in other contexts, such as in the sale of a business, but certainly not in the employment world. The good news is – in many if not most cases, these clauses will not be enforceable against you. For starters, we can tell you that your employer can’t rely on this clause at all if you have been wrongfully dismissed. These clauses are also be completely useless if your employer either simply made you sign it at some point after you were hired without giving you anything in return, or if you were bullied into signing one or risk being fired. Employers will often include them in employment agreements simply as an intimidation tactic, hoping you will think it’s valid and obviously not take-up competition against them once a termination has occurred. Unfortunately, this usually benefits the employer because many employees don’t seek out legal counsel and simply trust that these are enforceable. Let us be the judge of that – we’ll review your agreement and assess whether it’s been properly drafted and is reasonable. In all likelihood, we’ll have some good news for you – you’ve got to earn a living somehow… and the courts generally tend to agree.

We like speaking to you in plain English

Because we don’t need to impress you with our legalese, we’ll keep this simple and to the point. If you have a non-solicitation clause in your employment agreement, or if we determine you are the sort of employee who has these implied obligations, you are nevertheless usually still able to compete against your former employer – don’t let your employer’s ill-informed Human Resources rep tell you otherwise. We are asked this all the time: “Solicitation” only covers certain, limited behaviours – so long as you don’t engage in active inducement, targeting or recruitment, the decision of a former customer or potential customer to use your services or buy your products is still theirs, and only theirs. Not your former employer’s. Ask us what you can and cannot do, or whether you’re even bound by this type of clause and we’ll happily get you off to a good start in your new employment or business after a termination – with the peace of mind that your former employer will not come after you.

Drafting, reviewing and advising on employment agreements and restrictive covenants (i.e. non-competition, non-solicitation and non-disclosure agreements) is right up our alley. In a previous life, we drafted these for employers ranging from large-scale multinationals to local businesses – we just became tired of that and now want to use our knowledge and experience to help you and only you, the employee. We know what we’re doing here.

Occupational Health and Safety & WCB Matters

You have the right to work in a safe environment – in fact, it should be demanded. If your employer is cutting corners and taking unreasonable risks, exposing you to harm and risk of injury, or if you have already become injured because of this, we’ll see to it that this recklessness stops immediately – and permanently. If necessary, we’ll make sure you receive the compensation and benefits you’re entitled to. We’re in your corner and we aggressively prosecute and advance these claims where settlement is not possible.

What We’ll Do for You:

The Employee

Wrongful Dismissals

Severance Reviews

Termination Clause Reviews

Reasonable Notice Assessments

Just Cause Terminations

Constructive Dismissals

Human Rights

Harassment, Bullying and Discrimination

Employment Agreements & Contracts

Change of Control Protection (“Golden Parachutes”)

Non-Competition & Non-Solicitation Advice

Non-Disclosure, Confidentiality & Non-Disparagement Advice

Occupational Health & Safety

Short & Long-Term Disability Entitlements

Employment Standards

Independent & Dependent Contractors

Fixed-Term Contracts

Unionized Employees

Duty of Fair Representation Complaints

Grievance Appeals

Workplace Investigations & Disciplinary Proceedings

Equity-Based Awards

PSU’s, RSU’s & Stock Options

Share Appreciation Rights (“SARs”)

Performance Bonuses & Incentive Pay

Maternity & Parental Leave

Let’s Work Together