HR Law Conference - Session #6: Ask Me Anything

Rounding off two days of learning, this session invites participants to reflect on the newest issues in employment law as a way to look to the future of HR.

SPEAKERS:

David Whitten
Partner, Whitten & Lublin PC

David A. Whitten is a highly sought after lawyer with expertise in employment law and is a senior partner at Whitten & Lublin, a Toronto-based employment law firm focussing on the strategic resolution of complex workplace issues and challenges for both employers and employees. David specializes in advising clients on constructive dismissal in the workplace.

What sets David A. Whitten apart is his abiding belief in fairness. He holds that the most productive and successful work environments are those in which both the employer and employees are treated with respect. This ethical standard makes him a compelling advocate in negotiations or in court and an opponent to be reckoned with.

David also places great stock in flexibility and finding solutions through negotiated resolution. However, he is also a tenacious litigator. He has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario and a range of tribunals, including: The Ontario Labour Relations Board, Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal.

For private and public sector employers, he has provided knowledgeable counsel on a broad range of issues, including: constructive dismissal, workplace safety, and insurance, employment standards, human rights, hiring, terminations, involuntary and voluntary buyouts, and common law obligations in Canada.

While David advises employees at all levels, he focusses on issues specific to the C-Suite. He is broadly experienced at crafting and negotiating executive employment and compensation agreements; severance packages; non-competition and non-solicitation contracts, as well as agreements related to post-employment obligations; incentive plans stock options; bonus compensation, and fiduciary obligations. David has developed a specialized approach to dealing with constructive dismissal in the executive suite that has assisted his clients to recover millions of dollars in severance.



James Heeney
Partner, Heeney Vokey LLP

James Heeney is a partner at Heeney Vokey LLP. He provides advice to both employers and employees on all areas of employment law. James is driven to create a firm that focuses on integrity and attention to detail but which also provides advice which is cost effective and timely. He works diligently to ensure his clients make strategic and educated long term decisions.

In respect of the employee side of his practice, James routinely advises clients on issues relating to executive compensation, employment contracts, terminations and human rights.

James is an experienced workplace investigator having performed investigations in respect of all areas of employment law. James has experience performing complex investigations in both the unionized and non-unionized workplaces in which there is a need for both thorough and timely reporting. Before founding Heeney Vokey LLP, James gained valuable experience practicing at a large national firm as well as a boutique employment law firm. James graduated from Queen’s University, and was called to the bar in 2004. Upon graduating from Queen’s James was awarded the prize for overall academic achievement, as well as the Law Society’s Award of Excellence. James was named by the Canadian HR Reporter, a national employment law magazine, as a leading employment lawyer in Toronto.

James has written numerous articles for several employment law forums and has published articles with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation which may be found at cbcnews.ca with respect to the area of employment law.


Charlene Theodore
Immediate Past President, Ontario Bar Association (OBA)

Charlene Theodore is a workplace lawyer and diversity strategist with a background in government relations. As in house counsel to one of Ontario’s largest professional associations, she has a unique practice that involves both management and union side work. She also provides counsel on pensions and benefits matters, plan governance, and regulatory compliance.  Charlene has represented the interests of Black Canadians before United Nations human rights treaty bodies, Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal, as well as federal and provincial legislative committees.

As a leader in her profession, she has developed and championed several equality initiatives, with a focus on diversifying traditionally homogenous spaces in law and affecting positive change throughout the legal industry for women and people of colour. Her work on behalf of the legal profession was recognized nationally when she was honoured with a Lexpert Zenith Award, celebrating champions for the advancement of women in the legal profession.