Ending the Employment Relationship 2017

Course Chairs
Valerie S. Dixon — Miller Thomson LLP, Vancouver
Martin Sheard — Tevlin Gleadle Curtis Employment Law Strategies, Vancouver

About the Course Chairs
 Valerie S. Dixon is a partner with Miller Thomson LLP and practices almost exclusively in the area of employment law. She acts for a variety of clients, both federally and provincially regulated, including financial institutions and insurance brokers, with respect to all manner of employment related disputes, including wrongful dismissal and constructive dismissal claims, post-employment competition disputes, and human rights complaints. She provides ongoing advice to employers on all respects of human resource issues. Valerie has appeared as a counsel in all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Valerie was co-counsel for the successful appellant in one of the latest Supreme Court of Canada decisions regarding restrictive covenants in employment contracts, Shafron v. KRG Insurance, 2009 SCC 6.

 Martin Sheard is an eight-year call to the British Columbia bar. He has broad experience in wrongful and constructive dismissal trials as well as human rights and employment standards matters. In recent years, Martin has been successful  counsel on several cases at the forefront of defining constructive dismissal in BC. He has represented a diverse range of clients including publicly traded companies as well as senior managers and executives from large national and international firms. Martin is also a mediator focusing on contractual disputes. He is the former chair of the Employment Law Subsection of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch, and is currently the secretary of the Civil Litigation Subsection (Vancouver). He volunteers as a supervisor with the Law Students' Legal Advice Program and as a mentor for law students throughout BC and is a frequent guest lecturer at the UBC Faculty of Law on topics including employment law, Employment Standards legislation, negotiation strategy and professional standards of conduct.

Welcome and Introduction

Martin Sheard — Tevlin Gleadle Curtis Employment Law Strategies, Vancouver
Valerie S. Dixon — Miller Thomson LLP, Vancouver

How to Terminate the Employment Relationship

• terminating an employee with or without cause
• what constitutes cause
• what constitutes reasonable notice
• best practices leading up to the dismissal of an employee
• procedure and etiquette for dismissing an employee
• what terms to include in the release

Martin Sheard — Tevlin Gleadle Curtis Employment Law Strategies, Vancouver
Valerie S. Dixon — Miller Thomson LLP, Vancouver

Networking Break

What Happens After the Employment Relationship Ends

• possible claims terminated employees can bring
• available defences, aggravating and mitigating factors
• tips for managing and resolving disputes
• how to protect the corporate reputation

Martin Sheard — Tevlin Gleadle Curtis Employment Law Strategies, Vancouver
Valerie S. Dixon — Miller Thomson LLP, Vancouver

Closing Questions and Comments

Martin Sheard — Tevlin Gleadle Curtis Employment Law Strategies, Vancouver
Valerie S. Dixon — Miller Thomson LLP, Vancouver