Background
Jeffrey P. Mitchell is a partner in the Toronto office of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, a full service Canadian law firm. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1996 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1998.
Areas of Practice
Jeffrey practises in the areas of employment and labour relations law, human rights and occupational health and safety.
Rankings and Recognitions
· Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2012 (Labour and Employment Law)
Professional Experience
· Jeffrey acts primarily for employers, and regularly advises on a wide variety of matters, including advising on employee termination issues, employee discipline, human rights and accommodation issues.
· Jeffrey has considerable experience representing clients in employment and labour-related litigation matters before the Courts and administrative tribunals. Jeffrey regularly represents employers facing wrongful dismissal claims and human rights complaints. He also represents clients at arbitrations, at the Ontario Labour Relations Board and at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal.
· Jeffrey has been involved in commencing picketing injunction applications before the Superior Court, resulting in limitations on the right of unionized employees to engage in picketing activities during a lawful strike/lockout.
· For non-union clients, Jeffrey has expertise in drafting employment contracts as well as non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements.
· For his unionized clients, Jeffrey has expertise advising on collective agreement administration and grievance handling. Jeffrey advises employers on their obligations throughout the collective bargaining process, including advising and drafting language for proposals, advising on the duty to bargain in good faith and providing strategies to be employed in bargaining. Jeffrey acts as primary spokesperson in collective bargaining.
· Jeffrey has extensive experience advising employers on issues involving a sale or acquisition of a business.
Professional and Community Activities
· Adjunct Professor, Labour Law, Woodsworth College, University of Toronto, 2001-2011
· Past Board of Directors (2001-2009) and Past Chair (2007), Industrial Accident Prevention Association
· February 2012, Speaker: Osgoode Hall Law School - "Blueprints to Buildings: the Occupational Health and Safety Act"
· January 2012, Author of White Paper for Bureau of National Affairs ("BNA") - "Canadian Outlook for 2012"
· May 2011, Speaker: Ontario Hospitals Association - "Executive Compensation" Webinar
· October 2010, Speaker: Building Owners and Managers Association - "Constructor Liability" Webinar
· September 2010, Speaker: Ontario Shores Mental Health Centre - "Workplace Violence in Health Care"
· September 2010, Speaker: Ontario Bar Association, Young Lawyers' Division - "Termination for Just Cause"
· September 2010, Speaker: Osgoode Hall Law School's part-time LLM program - "Occupational Health and Safety and the Constructor Designation"
· April 2010, Speaker: Canadian-American Chamber of Commerce Conference, Dallas Texas - "Bill 168 - Violence and Harassment in the Workplace: Are You Ready?"
· January 2010, Speaker: Canadian Electricity Association Labour Relations symposium - "The New Economy and Bargaining Pressures on Canadian Unions"
· November 2009: Author of White Paper for Bureau of National Affairs ("BNA"), contrasting Canadian and American employment law
· October 2009, panel: Human Resources Professionals Association - "Duty to Accommodate Based on Family Status"
· September 2009, Speaker: Canadian-American Chamber of Commerce Conference, Dallas Texas - "Canadian Employment Law"
· September 2009 Speaker: Professional Engineers of Ontario Conference - "Employment Law 101"