HRPA Meeting Details

Bill Gale is a Partner at Grosman, Grosman & Gale LLP since 1989, where he practices in the areas of employment law. He was selected by Lexpert's Peer Review process as one of the "Top 500 Lawyers in Canada" for each year from 2012 to the present.

He has appeared in the Courts at both the trial and appellate levels to argue many reported decisions dealing with issues such as wrongful dismissal litigation, human rights, occupational health & safety, employment contracts and pensions & benefits. He represents employees and a number of employers including many arts organizations, advising them on legal issues facing them in today's changing world, and also chairs the board of the Hannaford Street Silver Band.

Bill is one of the Editors-in-Chief of the Canadian Cases on Employment Law and a contributing author to the legal text, New Perspectives in Canadian Employment law and has written articles for a number of publications in the area of employment law including The Employment Bulletin and regularly participates as a speaker at professional conferences.

Bill devotes significant time in his employment law practice to negotiating and drafting executive contracts. Referred to in the Business Magazine of the National Post as "an executive agent", Bill reduces the increasingly complex nature of executive compensation to concise written documents on behalf of his executive clients.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Western University in 1977 and a LLB from the University of Windsor Law School in 1980.

Jeff is a partner with Grosman, Grosman & Gale LLP, providing strategic advice and expertise in all aspects of labour, employment and human resources law, with a particular focus on wrongful dismissal litigation.

Jeff has provided representation and trial advocacy on complex matters before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ontario Court of Appeal, Divisional Court, arbitrations, and various administrative tribunals, including the Ontario Labour Relations Board, Employment Standards and Human Rights Tribunal. Jeff is also routinely retained to represent clients on injunctive relief motions, primarily on the issue of restrictive covenants and employee fiduciary duties.

He develops and implements employment and workplace policies, counsels and advises human resource professionals, executives, managers and supervisors in workplace due diligence, positive employee relations and best practices. Jeff also drafts and advises on executive contracts related to duties and responsibilities, compensation, benefits and other conditions of employment.

Sheryl is a partner in the Employment and Labour Law Practice Area. In her employment practice Sheryl provides strategic advice and perspective on all aspects of the employment relationship, including recommending and assisting in implementing effective measures to expediently manage and proactively address workplace issues and disputes so as to reduce expose and limit liabilities. This includes such matters as negotiating employment contracts, confidentiality and intellectual property agreements, restrictive covenants, severance packages and wrongful dismissal settlements; drafting and providing seminars on human resources policies and best practices; drafting employee handbooks; advising clients on statutory matters such as human rights, occupational health and safety and employment standards entitlements and obligations; conducting workplace assessments; and conducting wrongful dismissal actions. In her labour practice Sheryl advises management in all facets of labour relations. This includes such matters as union certification drives and employer free speech campaigns, unfair labour practice applications, related and successor employer applications, collective bargaining, conciliation and representation before the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Canada Industrial Relations, grievance arbitrators and grievance arbitration boards.

Malcolm has practiced exclusively employment law for over 25 years. He now practices at Shields O’Donnell MacKillop LLP, an employment and labour law boutique. Malcolm represents employers and senior executives in all aspects of employment law including issues involving just cause, fiduciary obligations and human rights. Malcolm was awarded the Queen Elizabeth medal in 2013 for philanthropy abroad by the Governor General of Canada.

Jodi Martin is a partner at Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP. Her practice focuses on union-side labour law, employment disputes, human rights, and public and administrative law. Jodi acts for unions and associations at grievance arbitrations, mediations and before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the Ontario Labour Relations Board. She has a particular interest in judicial reviews and appeals, and has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Jodi regularly speaks at conferences and provides continuing legal education to other lawyers and organizations on a range or issues including administrative and public law, human rights, and the duty to accommodate.

Jodi graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School, and was the recipient of several awards for outstanding academic achievement. Prior to law school Jodi completed a Master of Arts in Anthropology at the University of Western Ontario. Jodi is a member of the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers, the Advocates’ Society and the Toronto Lawyers Association.

Michael McKelvey is a judge with the Superior Court of Justice (Central East Region). Prior to his appointment Justice McKelvey was a partner with the firm of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and practiced civil litigation with a particular interest in health law and employment law.

Hendrik is a partner at SOM. He is a litigator with significant experience for his year of call. Hendrik solves his clients’ problems in a practical, effective, and cost-efficient manner.

Since joining the firm in 2007, Hendrik has represented individuals and businesses in a wide range of employment and labour disputes, including wrongful dismissal litigation, employment standards complaints, Canada Labour Code unjust dismissal complaints, human rights applications, union grievances, and fiduciary litigation. Hendrik has served as counsel at several trials, appeals, arbitrations, and injunctions. Hendrik advises businesses in a number of sectors, including manufacturing, banking, financial services, health care, publishing, retail, charities, government, and technology.

In addition to his litigation practice, Hendrik is a frequent writer and speaker on employment and labour law matters. Hendrik has authored and contributed to several legal texts, and has written for Canadian Lawyer In House magazine, HR Professional magazine, Canadian HR Reporter, and the Financial Post. Hendrik has presented at the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Ontario Bar Association, the Institute for Professional Management, the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) Annual National Conference, and at HRPA Chapters across the GTA.

Before joining the firm, Hendrik received his law degree from Queen’s University, and clerked for the judges of the Ontario Divisional Court in 2006. Hendrik is from the small Niagara town of Port Colborne, Ontario.

Andrew Pinto is a partner with Pinto Wray James LLP in Toronto. He practices in the areas of civil litigation, employment and labour, and administrative law. He has appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada and practices regularly before all levels of court as well as numerous administrative tribunals. Andrew has been recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada (Administrative and Public Law, since 2013) and as a Leading Practitioner by Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (Workplace Human Rights, since 2012). In addition to his advisory and litigation practice, Andrew conducts workplace investigations on behalf of organizations.

Andrew is frequently called on to provide television, radio, and print commentary regarding legal and political developments. His comments have appeared in various media including the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, CBC radio, CTV News, CP24, and in numerous legal publications.

Andrew has taught administrative law as an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. He also teaches administrative law in the Osgoode Professional Development and Ryerson University LLP programs. He is a past chair of the Administrative Law section of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA), and past chair of the Equity Advisory Group (EAG) of the Law Society of Upper Canada. From 2010-12, he was co-Chair of Institute, the OBA’s premiere legal conference. He is also a co-Chair of the University of Toronto Tribunal that deals with academic discipline. In July 2012, Andrew was appointed to the Board of Governors of the Law Commission of Ontario: www.lco-cdo.org.

In August 2011, Andrew was appointed by the Attorney General of Ontario to conduct an independent review of the changes made to the Ontario human rights system since 2008. Andrew held public consultations across the province and submitted his Final Report in November 2012: www.ontariohumanrightsreview.org.

In November 2008, Andrew received the inaugural “Lawyer of the Year” award from the South Asian Bar Association for his contributions to the legal profession and wider community.

Prior to his legal career, Andrew received a degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University and worked in the high-tech sector.

Wade is a human rights lawyer practising at Ross & McBride LLP. He earned his law degree from the University of Toronto, where he took part in an international human rights internship working directly with Guido Raimondi (currently Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights). In 2013, Wade completed his LL.M. at Cornell University, placing within the top three students in his program. Since being called to the bar, Wade has completed a number of executive education certificates from Osgoode Hall Law School and Harvard University. In 2014, Wade was appointed as one three Applicant-side representatives to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario’s Practice Advisory Committee. He also serves on the Ontario Bar Association’s Constitutional, Civil Liberties and Human Rights Section Executive, as well as several non-profit boards of directors.

Janice Rubin is co-founder and co-managing partner of Rubin Thomlinson LLP, recognized in 2016 by Canadian Lawyer Magazine as one of the top 10 Labour and Employment Law Boutiques in the country.

Janice is one of Canada’s leading employment lawyers. She is repeatedly listed as a Lexpert Leading Practitioner and is rated as one of the Best Lawyers in Canada. In 2014 she won the Lexpert Zenith Award for employment law.

While recognized for her depth of expertise in all areas of employment law, Janice and her firm are considered leading authorities in the area of workplace harassment, workplace investigations and reviews. Janice and her colleagues work across the country, and have conducted various high profile investigations/ reviews for clients such as the CBC, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2015, Janice received the Employment Lawyer of the Year Award in the National HR Awards as a result of her work on the CBC investigation. She was also nominated for Canadian Lawyer Magazine’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in 2015 and 2016

Joel is a lawyer with Williams HR Law, where he practices management side labour, employment and human rights law. He provides advice and representation to employers on a broad range of issues including employment contracts, employment standards, wrongful dismissal litigation, human rights and accommodation, grievance arbitrations, labour board proceedings, privacy and workplace safety and insurance matters.

Prior to joining the firm, Joel articled with a prominent management side labour and employment boutique firm in Toronto. Joel obtained his J.D. degree from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. While at law school, Joel was an editor for the University of Toronto Law Review and worked at legal clinics where he assisted clients with Workplace Safety and Insurance and Landlord and Tenant matters. Prior to law school, Joel obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University.

Toronto Employment Lawyer Christine Thomlinson is a trusted advisor to senior human resource professionals who recognize employees as an integral part of their business. Her clients understand the need to manage their workplaces effectively, and they look to Christine for counsel on maintaining the employee relationships that support their organization’s business objectives.

She is known for her high capability to think strategically, and her ability to find practical, often innovative, legal solutions to her clients’ challenging workplace issues.

Christine develops and delivers training programs that educate human resource professionals and managers on a variety of employment law and human rights issues. More and more, employer clients are finding that these training programs enable their employees to manage many workplace problems so effectively that there is less need for legal intervention.

She is a frequent and popular seminar leader at many human resources and legal programs, and is currently co-chair of the Human Resource Professionals Association’s "HR Law Conference"

Susan Ursel is a senior partner with the law firm of Ursel Phillips Fellows Hopkinson LLP. A graduate of the University of Toronto in 1979, she received her B.A. with high honours and later completed her LL.B. at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1984. She works as ground-breaking counsel seeking progressive legal change for individuals, unions and associations with respect to labour, employment, human rights, pay equity and pensions and benefits. Susan practices in the areas of labour, employment, employment equity, human rights and pensions and benefits law and has done so since her call to the Bar in 1986. She appears before administrative Tribunals and all levels of court, including a number of appearances before the Supreme Court of Canada. Susan also participates in collective bargaining and other negotiations on behalf of her trade union clients in the public and private sectors.

In addition, Susan enjoys developing educational seminars and presentations for clients and regularly participates in various speaking engagements and conferences with respect to labour, human rights and employment equity. She has also authored numerous topical papers and articles in these areas.

Susan is the recipient of Pro Bono Ontario’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement award, and a recipient of the Canadian Bar Association's (CBA) 2011 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conference (SOGIC) Hero Award. She has also been honoured for her contribution to pro bono legal culture by the Canadian Bar Association receiving the Young Lawyer's Pro Bono Service Award in 1998. She is also an inductee in the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives - Builders of Tolerance: Portraits from the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives - 2000.

Susan is a current and past member of a number of community and professional organizations which focus on equality, equity, human rights and labour. She is currently the Chair of the Canadian component of the African Legal Research Team which provides legal research support to Envisioning Global LGBT Rights, a project located at York University.

Susan was also recently nominated by the Canadian Bar Association and subsequently appointed as a member of the first Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments.

George Vassos focuses his practice on advocacy before trial and appellate Courts, and before various labour boards, arbitrators, mediators, adjudicators, and other administrative tribunals, as well as strategic and proactive advice on a wide variety of labour and employment law issues. His work includes employment contracts, wrongful dismissal and employment litigation, fiduciary duties, restrictive covenants, injunctions, group benefits, employment standards, human rights, certification, collective bargaining, administration of collective agreements, grievances, arbitrations, labour board matters, alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

George earned the Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation from the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), the professional regulatory body and the professional association for Human Resources professionals in Ontario, Canada.

Before joining Littler, George was a Senior Partner with Kuretzky Vassos Henderson, which was three times named one of Canada’s Top Ten Labour and Employment Law Boutique Firms by Canadian Lawyer Magazine, most recently 2014-2015. Littler is proud to continue this honour, recently named by Canadian Lawyer Magazine as one of Canada’s Top Ten Labour and Employment Law Boutique Firms, 2016-2017.)

Laura Williams has more than 15 years of experience providing strategic advice and representation to employers on a full range of labour and employment matters, including pre-termination advice and strategy, workplace safety and insurance, wrongful dismissal actions, union organizing and certification, grievance arbitration, human rights, privacy, employment standards, workplace policies, procedures and employment contracts. Her focus is to provide proactive advice designed to minimize workplace law challenges, maximize employee engagement and boost their bottom line performance. Her specialty is providing effective and comprehensive solutions that reduce liability and costs derived from ineffective and non-compliant workplace practices.

Laura is regularly engaged by organizations and firms as an investigator on various issues including workplace violence, harassment, sexual harassment, violence, employee discipline, fraud, health and safety and disability management issues. She has also been featured in various industry magazines and human resources publications, providing expertise and insights on a wide range of employment law and employee engagement issues. Laura speaks frequently at HR law seminars and conferences, and regularly conducts workshops and training for human resources professionals and managers operating in a variety of sectors.

Loreta Zubas is the principal of Zubas + Associates, a boutique employment and human rights law firm. For over twenty five years she has assisted employees and small employers in a cost-effective and practical manner to resolve workplace issues.

Loreta is a regular speaker on employment law issues in continuing education programs for the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Canadian Bar Association. She is the recipient of several community service awards including the LSUC Bicentennial Award of Merit for Outstanding Community Services for her work with the Redwood Women’s Shelter. She sits on the Board of LIFE (Lawyer’s International Food Enterprise). For the past several years she has organized the annual TFK (Thirst for Knowledge) event, originally started by Norm Grosman and David Harris, which brings together almost two hundred employment lawyers in a social setting. Loreta’s most unusual work experience involved operating a 40 ton overhead crane in a steel mill in her hometown of Hamilton, which taught her what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.