Employment

Squared’s Employment and Labour Department delivers clear, practical and results-oriented legal advice on all aspects of employment and labour law.

We offer strong, effective representation where workplace disputes arise and valuable insight into the best way to establish and implement realistic and reliable employment and labour practices. We partner with a broad range of companies, from small- and medium-sized to global entities, and have worked closely with clients in most industries and understand the business and legal issues that are unique to different business sectors. Our lawyers understand the reputational risks inherent in implementing workplace initiatives. We respond promptly because we recognize that employment and labour issues are usually pressing ones and need to be addressed quickly and effectively.

Our lawyers regularly represent clients before Labour boards and other tribunals dealing with employment and labour-related issues, at arbitration hearings and before the courts. 

OUR EXPERTISE INCLUDES

• Collective Agreement Administration
• Collective Bargaining
• Directors’ Liability
• Employment Contracts and Executive Compensation
• Employment Standards
• Grievance Arbitration
• Human Rights
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Pay Equity and Employment Equity
• Privacy
• Restructuring Solutions
• Strikes and Lockouts
• Terminations and Layoffs
• Union Certification and Decertification
• Workers’ Compensation
• Workplace Investigations

Our Employment & Labour team has extensive experience working with clients in this increasingly important sector of the Canadian economy. 

EXPERIENCE

• Brazilian Investment Management Company: 
  Advising in connection with the structure of its offshore private equity funds to satisfy deferred compensation requirements and in connection with the sale of a controlling interest in the management company to a US financial services company.
  
• Entertainment company: 
  Advising in connection with a share sale and a subsequent Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) transfer of a distribution agreement. Our team advised on UK TUPE issues, coordinating European advice and on a wide-ranging restructuring and redundancy program.
  
• International ingredient solutions provider: 
  Advising regarding highly sensitive employment terminations and plant closure in Africa, encompassing legal requirements and safety, security and publicity considerations. Cross-border matter involving San Francisco and Washington, DC, offices of Dentons with expertise of affiliated law firm in Kenya, which advised regarding the details of Kenyan employment law. Our deep knowledge of Africa and international employment law and practice facilitated advice and assistance to the client.
  
• Kuoni global travel services: 
  Providing strategic and commercial advice in respect of repatriating UK based roles to 26 local jurisdictions across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, including collating local law advice from each of the 26 jurisdictions. The London Employment Group was supported by the Global Employment Group in Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Madrid, Moscow, Istanbul, Kiev, and Warsaw.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

• Chambers Canada, Nationwide: Employment and Labour (Band 1), Chambers and Partners, 2021
• Chambers Canada, Alberta: Employment and Labour, Chambers and Partners, 2021
• Chambers Canada, British Columbia: Employment and Labour, Chambers and Partners, 2021
• Chambers Canada, Ontario: Employment and Labour (Band 1), Chambers and Partners, 2021
• Chambers Canada, Quebec: Employment and Labour (Band 1), Chambers and Partners, 2021
• Legal 500 Canada, Labour and Employment (Tier 1), The Legal 500, 2020