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About Andrea

Andrea is the Practice Group Leader of the Blakes National Employment & Labour group and co-chair of the Firm's Privacy group. She is an experienced advocate with 25 years of experience in the areas of employment and privacy law. Her practice is devoted exclusively to advising corporations and other employers on employment and privacy law matters.

Andrea provides clients with timely and practical advice on day-to-day human resources and employee relations issues that impact their workplaces. She works with employers across a variety of industries, including banking and financial services, retail, manufacturing, medical and consumer products, technology, pharma, and marketing and advertising. Andrea regularly works with clients on the preparation of employment, executive compensation and termination agreements, and assists clients with employee policy development and review. When disputes arise, she also acts for employers in various legal proceedings, including wrongful dismissal and human rights claims as well as claims enforcing post-employment obligations. Andrea also advises on the employment and privacy law aspects of commercial transactions, including M&A transactions, reorganizations, insolvencies and outsourcing transactions.

Andrea is also a member of the Blakes NITRO team, and a member and past co-chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee at Blakes.

Select Experience
  • Successfully defended a multi-national employer in a credibility-focused Human Rights Tribunal hearing dealing with a claim of pregnancy discrimination following termination

  • Advised on selection processes and legal requirements related to large restructuring initiatives, and successfully negotiated resolutions to multiple claims made by employees following mass terminations

  • Advised and successfully defended a technology company before the Ministry of Labour on misclassification claims made by contractors claiming to be employees

  • Regularly negotiates and drafts executive employment contracts, termination agreements and restrictive covenant agreements, and advises on incentive compensation arrangements and employee policies

Awards & Recognition

Andrea has been recognized for her expertise by the following publications:

  • The Legal 500 Canada – 2023–2024 (Labour and Employment)

  • The Best Lawyers in Canada – 2023–2024 (Labour and Employment Law – Ontario)

  • Chambers Canada: Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business – 2022–2023 (Employment & Labour)

  • The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory – 2022–2023 (Employment Law)

  • Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer – Independently Rated Lawyers – 2022–2023 (As nominated by senior in-house counsel)

  • Who's Who Legal: Global (2023: Labour, Employment & Benefits; 2022: Labour & Employment)

  • Who's Who Legal: Canada – 2022–2023 (Labour, Employment & Benefits)

  • Benchmark Canada: The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys 2022 (Litigation Star: Employment and Labour)

Professional Activities

Andrea is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers, the International Association of Privacy Professionals and The Advocates' Society.

Andrea regularly speaks at seminars and provides management training on topics such as employment aspects of doing business in Canada, social media, privacy, performance management, investigations, human rights and diversity.

Professional Appearances
  • Presenter : Privacy, employee monitoring, and surveillance technology issues
    Canadian Lawyer's Employment Law Masterclass Webinar, April 25, 2023.
  • Panel Member : Diverse Beliefs in the Workplace
    Lex Mundi Labor and Employment and Employee Benefits & Pensions Joint Global Practice Group Meeting, June 1, 2023.
  • Co-presenter : HR Legal Considerations for Remote Workers: Legal Foundation
    Blakes Annual Pensions Webinar Series: Webinar #1, February 10, 2022.
  • Co-presenter : Blakes 2021 Canada/U.S. Legal Update Seminar Series: Employment and Labour
    Blakes Business Class Webinar, Toronto, Ontario, November 17, 2021.
  • Co-presenter : Social Media Evidence: Litigation Trends and Developments
    CBA Labour and Employment Law Online Symposium, November 9, 2021.
  • Co-presenter : Dismissal Law Round-up: Contracts Under Siege and Other Recent Developments
    Beyond COVID-19: A Series on Employment Law Issues in the Post-Pandemic Workplace, Blakes Business Class Webinar, Toronto, Ontario, June 8, 2021.
  • Co-presenter : Recent Developments in Pensions, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Law
    Blakes Pension, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Law Webinar, Toronto, Ontario, May 20, 2021.
Media Activities
  • Quoted : Reasonableness, privacy and monitoring policy laws, and practicality place bounds on how it is used
    Interviewed by Zena Olijnyk, Canadian Lawyer, February 28, 2023.
  • Quoted : Fired for cause, worker still gets termination pay
    Interviewed by Sarah Dobson, Canadian HR Reporter, May 3, 2022.
Education

CIPP/C, International Association of Privacy Professionals – 2014
Admitted to the Ontario Bar – 1998
JD, University of Toronto – 1996
BA, Carleton University – 1993

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