EMPLOYER SERVICES

Whether you require assistance drafting employment contracts and policies to limit your liability and comply with mandatory statutory requirements, litigation counsel in court or assistance with the hiring and termination of employees, Stitz Litigation can help. Michael Stitz, a top Toronto employment lawyer, has been advising and providing winning representation to businesses in all industries for the last decade. Call us for a free initial case assessment to see how Stitz Litigation can help you.

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Employment Agreement & Contract Drafting

Ontario Businesses of all sizes can protect themselves by drafting predictable, affordable and effective employment agreements and contracts.

When it comes to your employees and contractors, the terms of employment, termination of employment and/or rules concerning competition can be reduced to an enforceable contract that protects your business.

Everything from base salary, bonuses and stock options to termination can be dealt with in a written agreement. Stitz Litigation has helped employers by drafting enforceable employment contracts and workplace policies for years. You need a lawyer who is up to date with the changes in the law and can incorporate them into the rules that govern your workplace.

Employers can avoid significant future liability relating to issues such as termination, compensation and future competition of an employee. They can also make changes to an employees work environment that might not otherwise be possible unless the authority to do so is reduced to a written agreement.

If you are thinking of hiring someone or want to formalize your existing human resources and employee management processes, Stitz Litigation is a leading employment and labour law firm that can help develop a tailor made solution.

Are you aware that during the hiring process you can negotiate the future entitlements to which an employee is owed if a dismissal occurs?

Do you have an executive, key employee and/or fiduciary that could harm your business if they resign or are dismissed?

Stitz Litigation can draft non-competition and non-solicitation agreements that protect the economic and intellectual property interests of your business.

Call Michael Stitz, a Canadian expert employment and labour lawyer at Stitz Litigation. We specialize in the drafting of employment contracts, policies and workplace agreements.

Human Resources (HR) Support & Compliance

Businesses of all sizes are subject to certain laws and regulations that govern the treatment of their employees. Everything from compensation, leaves of absence, harassment and bullying to termination of employment. However, not all businesses can afford dedicated human resources staff or specialists that are up to date with current workplace, employment and labour legislation in order to ensure ongoing legal compliance.

Stitz Litigation can assist by drafting workplace policies and agreements that limit your future liability exposure while ensuring you comply with your legal obligations. This ensures you not only pass government audits, but are protected if an employee seeks to litigate matters.

Human rights, occupational health and safety as well as wrongful dismissal related laws and obligations can be confusing. Stitz Litigation can help navigate and respond to all of these issues.

Businesses cannot afford to simply be reactive at a time when employees are being empowered more than ever to pursue maximum compensation, benefits and even publicity.

The drafting of employment contracts and policies are some of the best investments that an organization can make. They assist with creating a predictable environment when it comes to human resources management; the absence of which can be crippling.

Contact Stitz Litigation, a top law firm in Toronto that specializes in providing human resources support.

Hiring, Dismissal & Departing Employees

Hiring and Dismissal represent two points in the employment relationship where obligations & liabilities are created.

If you are restructuring your business and looking to reduce your workforce, if you have problematic employees you are looking to terminate for any reason, including but not limited to performance and misconduct related concerns or you are concerned about protecting your business from a key departing employee, Stitz Litigation can employ a strategy to minimize liability exposure, protect your business and make the process as quick and painless as possible.

Every hiring and dismissal decision is unique as are the legal obligations that are created in relation to an employee. Stitz Litigation advises employers when it comes to employee hiring and dismissal related decision making.

Stitz Litigation assists employers develop severance packages and hiring packages that streamline the hiring and dismissal process.

Did you know you can often minimize costly liability if the conduct of your employees constitutes wilful misconduct or justifies a just cause dismissal? Are you aware you can negotiate severance entitlements at the point of hire to ensure a predictable end to the relationship in the future?

Did you know that departing employees can harm your business by using trade secretes, confidential information and poaching clients. You can protect your business with written agreements and strong representation from Stitz Litigation. We are specialists in litigation involving departing employees, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of confidence and related claims.

Stitz Litigation, a top Toronto employment law firm, can employ performance improvement plans and disciplinary policies and procedures to create safe, effective and predictable solutions to manage your workforce without costly headaches.

Litigation, Negotiation & Severance Packages

Inevitably businesses must respond to lawsuits or demands from employees or competitors that threaten legal action. Businesses must also restructure at times and require assistance designing appropriate severance packages.

Stitz Litigation has successfully defended lawsuits against employers, commenced litigation to protect the interests of businesses and successfully represented organizations of all sizes at mediations and settlement conferences against other industry leaders and expert legal counsel.

We have been to trial on matters concerning allegations of breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy, breach of confidence, wrongful dismissal, bonus and stock options denial. These are just a few of the specialized employment and labour related issues we help employers navigate.

Your business requires both a strong offence and defence. You require a firm and thoughtful response from an authority in order to convey the seriousness of your position and establish credibility. We provide the vision, tools, transparency and fair billing that will allow your business to protect its interests rather than fold in the face of pressure due to the insurmountable legal fees and inexperience of other corporate counsel.

Stitz Litigation advises and represents employers in Ontario on all legal matters relating to wrongful dismissal litigation and negotiation, severance packages, breach of contract, non-competition, non-solicitation, human rights and discrimination, Employment Standards Act violations, Ministry of Labour, Labour Relations Board as well as related administrative tribunal and statutory matters.

Business Start-Up Support

Starting a business can be a daunting task, particularly once you consider human resources and the hiring of additional employees as you grow. However, there are simply too many legal avenues for employees to pursue their employers. You cannot afford to conduct your business with your employees on the basis handshake deals and haphazard management.

What you say and do around your employees can have significant consequences. A small investment in obtaining the proper legal knowledge and tools to navigate these issues can pay dividends.

New businesses require employment and labour counsel to protect their interests. They also must draft certain labour related policies and procedures that are mandatory by law. This includes navigating Occupational Health and Safety, Employment Standards, Human Rights and Workplace Safety and Insurance related statutes.

We can assist your business right from the point of inception. Stitz Litigation can employ an affordable strategy that will govern how the human capital of your business is managed.

Call Stitz Litigation about how we can help your start up with its employment and labour law needs.

Employee Discipline & Workplace Investigation

Rules exist that govern how a business can discipline and dismiss an employee. Stitz Litigation has been successfully assisting employers with disciplinary matters in the workplace for years.

It is paramount that employers draft workplace policies and procedures concerning employee discipline and then enforce and follow them. Developing a formal strategy to manage conflict and deal with discipline assists employers comply with their legal obligations and facilitates an easier and less painful termination experience if the workplace problem persists. It also provides an avenue to ensure employee engagement, productivity and adherence to policies and procedures on a go forward basis.

In addition, laws exist to protect employees when an employer’s discipline crosses the line and unnecessarily compromises the relationship. Discipline can result in a constructive dismissal in certain scenarios. A situation you simply wished to manage through discipline can turn into a costly liability scenario. A fine balance exists between formal discipline and dismissal.

In some scenarios, an impartial external investigation must be conducted. If harassment or discrimination is involved, laws govern an employer’s response.

Contact Stitz Litigation, a top employment law firm based in Toronto. We have been advising businesses from all industries on how to handle employee disciplinary matters as well as developing disciplinary policies and procedures for over half a decade.

Human Rights, Discrimination, Accommodation & Employee Absenteeism

Stitz Litigation has helped Ontario employers respond to concerns over employee absenteeism, fight frivolous human rights complaints, address requests from employees for accommodation of disabilities in the workplace and develop policies and procedures to ensure compliance with human rights legislation such as the Ontario Human Rights Code and Canadian Human Rights Act.

The Human Rights Code protects against discrimination in such areas as:

Age
Ancestry, colour, race
Citizenship
Ethnic origin
Place of origin
Creed
Disability
Family status
Marital status (including single status)
Gender identity, gender expression
Receipt of public assistance (in housing only)
Record of offences (in employment only)
Sex (including pregnancy and breastfeeding)
Sexual orientation.

Employers must be vigilant that they treat employees fairly and that they respond to allegations of discrimination, harassment and accommodation of disabilities in a serious manner. Policies, procedures and a proper response are required. Stitz Litigation helps employers navigate workplace human rights, discrimination and accommodation issues.

Do you have an employee seeking accommodation as a result of a disability?

Has an employee alleged discrimination or harassment in the workplace?

Has an employee gone on a leave of absence and you are seeking an appropriate response to manage your workforce, but also wish to avoid discrimination allegations? Call Stitz Litigation.

Opinion & Audit Letters

Your investors, public and private, require that you obtain legal opinions before your business undertakes a certain course of action and/or before they are willing to extend further coverage and financing.

Stitz Litigation provides formal written opinions and audit letters that businesses can rely on to obtain financing and related coverage to meet their needs. We provide legal opinions and briefs that you can rely when making a key decision.

Stitz Litigation has written about the law for years and advises on topics relating to wrongful dismissal and termination entitlements, leave of absence management, policy handbook development, unlawful competition and breach of confidence, among others. We help you see the bigger picture so you can get ahead of any foreseeable human resources and human capital issues that naturally develop over time in any workplace.