01May 24
The Perils of Bias in Workplace GenAI
In the rapidly evolving landscape of tech, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is becoming a central player, especially in sectors like customer service, content creation, and…
Come join SpringLaw’s feisty, smart, all-woman, tech-forward team!
April 5, 2022
We are looking for 2 innovative, tech-savvy lawyers with 3+ years of employment law experience, each with a slightly different focus:
- A litigation-focused lawyer who loves getting on their virtual, digital and sometimes IRL feet, with an interest in criminal law as it intersects with workplace law.
- A solicitor-focused lawyer who loves contracts, drafting, and advising employers in their day-to-day workplace law issues.
- We want new ideas and experience to keep optimizing our unique client service experience, and embracing automation, technology and efficiencies so we can focus on personal and high-value interactions with our clients.
- We’re looking for aligned souls to join us for the long run.
SpringLaw is Turning 5 & Giving Back
April 1, 2022
SpringLaw Turns 5 Years Old Today!
In law firm years, that means we are past the start-up phase and into the expansion and enhancement of client experience stage. We continue to build out our behind-the-scenes automation and tech-driven services to bring efficiency to files, so that we can focus on 1:1 communications with our clients.
5 Years of Virtual Counsel & Efficient Client-Centred Services
Little did we know 5 years ago how much being entirely virtual, paperless and focusing on cloud-based, online collaborative communications would come in handy during a global pandemic. Over the last 2 years, it’s been fantastic to see so many law firms, clients, adjudicative bodies and our justice system generally dig in and figure out how to communicate virtually.
Ontario Court of Appeal Upholds 26-Month Notice Period
March 30, 2022
Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash
In the world of workplace law we often say that, absent exceptional circumstances, the greatest notice period that any wrongfully dismissed employee could be awarded by an adjudicator is 24 months. But what are those exceptional circumstances? Years ago, we blogged about Dawe v. The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada, a case in which the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned the trial judge’s award of 30 months of reasonable notice for a terminated employee, reducing the final notice period to 24 months. Recently, the Ontario Court of Appeal released a decision, Currie v. Nylene Canada Inc. (“Currie”), affirming the trial judge’s assessment of damages in the amount of 26 months of reasonable notice for the wrongfully dismissed employee, Ms. Currie (“Ms. Currie”). Below we will look at the factors the Court considered in rendering this judgment.
No Award for Violence
March 28, 2022
If you missed the Oscars last night, you missed viewing a crime in real-time. The live and at-home viewing audience witnessed an assault. If you haven’t seen it, you can view the clip here. Chris Rock told a joke about Jada Pinkett, and her husband, Will Smith, then walked onto the stage, hit Chris Rock across the face, and went on to retort with profanity on live television. What’s more shocking than the act itself, is that the Oscars live broadcast continued without acknowledgement of the incident and later gave Will Smith an award.
Let’s talk about the law of assault (at least the Canadian definition). Section 265 of the Criminal Code of Canada says a person commits assault when: without the consent of another person, they apply force intentionally to that other person, directly or indirectly. Simply put, it is an assault, if one is making, or attempting to make, contact with another person without their consent. This is sometimes referred to as a common assault or simple assault because it is not aggravated (serious injuries) or with a weapon.
SpringLaw is hiring!
March 23, 2022
We’re busy and need 2 more lawyers on deck. Apply by Friday, April 15, 2022.
SpringLaw is looking for 2 innovative, tech-savvy lawyers with 3+ years of employment law experience, each with a slightly different focus:
- Litigation-focused lawyer who loves getting on her virtual, digital and sometimes IRL feet, with an interest in criminal law as it intersects with workplace law
- Solicitor-focused lawyer who loves contracts, drafting, and advising employers in their day-to-day workplace law issues.
What Does the End of Provincial Covid-19 Safety Measures Mean for Workplace Policies?
March 23, 2022
Across Canada, government mandates regarding masking and vaccination are lifting. In Ontario, vaccine passports are no longer required as of March 1 and masking mandates were lifted as of March 21. Employers who previously rolled out vaccination policies may be wondering what these wider government changes mean for their workplace policies.
Is A Vaccination Policy Necessary?
The shift in governmental approach towards COVID-19 safety protocols will likely mean that employers looking to justify invasions of employee privacy – i.e. disclosing vaccination status – based on reasonable health and safety concerns will be less able to do so. This is because the consensus, as evidenced by the change in government mandates, is that maybe this need is not based on a legitimate health and safety concern. This may vary depending on the workplace, but we note that even the employee vaccination mandate for long-term care homes – which was legally required – has been lifted.
