Employment Law Conference 2026: Day 2

Course Chairs
Valerie Dixon (she/her) — City of Vancouver, Vancouver
James D. Kondopulos (he/him) — Roper Greyell LLP, Vancouver

About the Course Chairs
Valerie Dixon is a lawyer in the City of Vancouver's Law Department and practices exclusively in the areas of labour, employment, and human rights. Prior to joining the City, Valerie spent 14 years in private practice, first at Clark Wilson LLP and later at Miller Thomson LLP.

Valerie has acted for a variety of employers, unionized and non-unionized, from small businesses to international corporations, health authorities, and municipalities. In addition to appearances before all levels of court in BC, Valerie has acted as counsel in the Supreme Court of Canada, and represented clients before various administrative tribunals.

James Kondopulos is a founding member and partner (practising through a law corporation) at the employment and labour law boutique of Roper Greyell LLP.

He is frequently recommended as a strong advocate and has represented employers and senior employees before all levels of court and a wide range of workplace-related administrative tribunals in BC.

James was named one of Canada's leading lawyers under 40 by Lexpert. He is ranked as a leading employment lawyer in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. He has been recognized repeatedly as a leader in the area of employment and labour law and is listed in Chambers Canada, Best Lawyers International, Canada, and also Lexology Index (formerly Who's Who Legal), Labour, Employment and Benefits.

James spends most of his time outside work with his wife and their three beautiful children. He is the chair and a director of the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of BC & Yukon and is a past vice-chair and director of the children's charity, Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon.

Planning Committee
Anita Atwal, KC (she/her) — Anita Atwal Law Corporation, Surrey
Colin J. Edstrom (he/him) — Harris & Company, Kelowna 
Amy Frankel (she/her) — Forte Workplace Law, Surrey 
Richard B. Johnson (he/him) — Ascent Employment Law Corporation, Vancouver 
Simon Kent (he/him) — Kent Employment Law, Vancouver 
Jennifer Kwok (she/her) — Overholt Law LLP, Vancouver 
Lia Moody (she/her) — HHBG Lawyers, Vancouver 
Donovan G. Plomp (he/him) — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver 
Kenneth Wm. Thornicroft (he/him) — Professor Emeritus, Gustavson School of Business, UVic, Victoria
Leanne M. Walsh (she/her) — West Coast Workplace Law, Richmond 

Faculty
Jeremy Bryant (he/him) — Banister & Company, and Tribunal Member, Employment Standards Tribunal, Vancouver
Navpreet Chhina (she/her) — Inlet Employment Law, Port Moody
Kai Ying Chieh (she/her) — Overholt Law LLP, Vancouver
Shea Coulson (he/him) — Coulson Litigation and Advisory, Vancouver
E. Murphy Fries (she/her) — Legal Counsel, BC Labour Relations Board and Employment Standards Tribunal, Vancouver
Johanna Goosen (she/her) — Director of Litigation, WorkSafeBC, Richmond
Robbie Grant (he/him) — McMillan LLP, Toronto
Neil Hain (he/him) — Neil Hain Dispute Resolution, Vancouver
Nicole R. Howell (she/her) — HHBG Lawyers, Vancouver
Eleni Kassaris (she/her) — Dentons Canada LLP, Vancouver
Victoria Merritt (she/her) — Dentons Canada LLP, Vancouver
Nazanin Panah (she/her) — Inlet Employment Law, Port Moody
Preston Parsons (he/him) — Overholt Law LLP, Vancouver
Richard E.K. Truman (he/him) — Cooperwilliams Truman & Ito LLP, Vancouver
Salim Visram (he/him) — Dentons Canada LLP, Vancouver

Course Materials Contributors
Rachel Akinyemi (she/her) — Dentons Canada LLP, Vancouver
Louis Claman (he/they) — PortaLaw Corporation, Vancouver
Frances Gropper — Neil Hain Dispute Resolution, Vancouver
Martin Sheard — Inlet Employment Law, Port Moody

Click here for full faculty bios

• post-employment issues involving rogue former employees including theft of employer information 
• overview of recent legal developments concerning:
  • restrictive covenants
  • common law post-employment fiduciary obligations regarding non-competition and use of confidential information and contractual obligations under employment agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and intellectual property agreements
• practical strategies and employer obligations when responding to theft or misuse of employer information
• injunctions including Anton Piller and Mareva injunctions
• forensic evidence

• update on the law of damages for incentive compensation, including a review of post-Matthews cases dealing with incentive compensation provisions
• assessing damages for the loss of pension contributions or pension benefits during the reasonable notice period
• trends in the case law and practical implications for counsel dealing with complex compensation, equity, or pension benefits matters

• review of investigatory procedures and requirements for both employers and employees when there is a critical workplace incident or fatality
• how to minimize potential liability for administrative penalties, offence proceedings, or possible charges for criminal negligence

• artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the modern workplace, from recruitment tools to performance analytics to generative AI
• this session will examine the ethical, legal, and governance challenges arising from increased AI adoption
• topics covered will include bias and discrimination, workplace privacy, and acceptable use policies; we will also briefly address professional ethics and responsibility for lawyers using AI in the course of their practice

• an overview of Tribunal processes and operations 
• recent key decisions of the Tribunal 
• notable judicial reviews of Tribunal decisions

• review and analysis of court decisions about how the duty to mitigate applies to fixed-term employment contracts, including the BCCA's decision in Mac's Convenience Stores Inc. v. Basyal, 2025 BCCA 284