Jessica is a seasoned employment and labour lawyer. Jessica was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2005, graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School, where she won three national mooting competitions. Jessica spent the first six years of her practice as in house union counsel to a municipal police union, and the following five years as an in house employer counsel at a large hospital system. She has appeared in hundreds of labour arbitrations and administrative proceedings before the OHRT and OLRB, as well as Superior Court. Jessica then moved to private management-side practice at Norton Rose Fulbright as Counsel for two years and joined Deloitte Legal as Partner in Employment and Labour in January 2020. Jessica has taught labour law at Osgoode Hall from 2012 to 2016, and she was named a Canada top 40 under 40 Rising Star in 2017.
Expertise:
- Drafting executive employment agreements, including stock options, compensation and incentive plans.
- Reviewing, interpreting, and negotiating collective agreements, advising on unionized workplace management.
- Interpreting employment related legislation and providing advice and representation before employment tribunals (e.g., human rights, labour relations board).
- Providing advice to management on sensitive employment investigations involving senior executives.
- Drafting and reviewing workplace policies and procedures’ (e.g. attendance, use of social media, alcohol and drugs, cannabis, etc.).
- Alternative dispute resolution and litigation (e.g. wrongful dismissal, non-competition and other restrictive covenants, etc.).
Professional certification:
- Member of the Ontario Bar, 2005
Recognition:
- Lexpert, Lawyers to Watch, 2018
- Lexpert, Top 40 Under 40 Rising Star, 2017