Labour and Employment Lawyers

An employment lawyer will bill their fees either on an hourly rate which can range from approximately $150 an hour to $300 an hour. If an employee has a good basis to allege a wrongful dismissal, many employment lawyers will represent a client “on contingency.”

This means that the lawyer delays the payment of their legal fees until the time of settlement. They then take approximately a third of the settlement as payment for their legal fees.

Employment lawyers assist employers and employees to understand their legal rights and requirements with regard to workplace issues such as human rights complaints, terminations, creating and reviewing employment contracts.

Many also provide workplace investigation and mediation services. A select few also assist organizations to manage media on legal issues and arbitrate collective agreements.

It depends on the type of unfair treatment you experience. You are protected from discrimination if you are receiving unfair treatment and the characteristic is covered by a human rights act.

These characteristics are, for examples, being female, having a particular religious belief, having a disability and/or being a person of color.

Examples of wrongful terminations are when the employer fails to provide (typically) three warnings that the employee’s behaviours are a concern. The employer warnings should also say that further infractions could result in termination.

This added warning allows the employee to understand how serious the concerns are. The employer also generally has an obligation to provide the necessary tools and training to correct objectionable behaviours.

Yes. Small claims court and Nova Scotia allows claims up to $25,000 which is a common way that employees seek compensation for a wrongful termination.