Laura J. Freitag
Partner

Executive Summary

Laura is a partner with the firm practising in all areas of labour and employment law, with a focus on employment litigation, human rights proceedings, grievance arbitrations, and workplace investigations. Laura has experience appearing before various tribunals as well as all levels of court in Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada.  She also has experience in confidential mediation and arbitration.

Laura provides strategic advice in employment litigation, human rights, and labour relations matters. Laura has a particular expertise in complex wrongful dismissal claims involving departing executives and breaches of restrictive covenants, such as confidentiality, non-competition and non-solicitation clauses. She also has experience assisting on injunctions and employment-related shareholder disputes.

Laura advises clients in both the private and public sectors across a range of industries, including manufacturing, energy, technology, government services, school boards, financial and professional services.

Prior to joining the firm, Laura practiced as an associate in the Toronto office of a national, full-service law firm, with a particular emphasis on litigation of commercial, employment, human rights, constitutional, and fraud matters.
 

Memberships and Professional Affiliations

• Law Society of Ontario 
• The Advocates’ Society
• Ontario Bar Association
• The Canadian Bar Association
• Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers (CACE)

Selected Publications, Presentations and Media Mentions

Select Publications

• “Ontario Labour Relations Act: Quick Reference,” Carswell (2019 – 2024).
• “Canada Labour Code: Quick Reference,” Carswell (2019 – 2024).
• “Termination of the Employment Relationship: Structuring a Termination Package and Settlements,” LexisNexis Practice Advisor, LexisNexis Canada, Inc. (2019 – 2023).
• “Pre-Litigation Professionalism,” Litigating an Employment File – The Essential Course, Ontario Bar Association (2020).
• “Monitoring Employees: Practical Lessons from R v Jarvis,” Labour and Employment Newsletter, Ontario Bar Association (2020).
• “Litigation Ensues,” Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) HR Law Conference (2019).
• “The Investigative Process,” Workplace Investigations: A Comprehensive Look at Emerging Issues and Practical Solutions, Law Society of Ontario (2019).

Select Presentations, Teaching, and Media Mentions

• Inclusive Job Design and Policies to Protect Psychological Safety, The Osgoode Certificate in Workplace Mental Health Law, Osgoode Professional Development (2020 – 2024).
• Introduction to Labour and Employment Law, First Year Contract Law, Lincoln Alexander School of Law (2022-2024).
• Oh, the Places They'll Go! Legal Considerations and Best Practices in Managing Remote and Hybrid Employees, Counselwell National Employment Law Forum (2023).
• Fact or Fiction: A Practical Guide to Defamation in the Workplace, Breakfast Seminar, FWTA LLP (2022).
• “Are masking policies still valid?”, Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine (2022). 
• “Employers back to 'wait-and-see' mode with constructive dismissal and pandemic leaves”, Canadian HR Reporter Article (2022).
• COVID and the Code: Mandatory vaccination, vaccine exemptions, and accommodation, Toronto Human Rights and Accommodation Conference, Lancaster House (2022).
• COVID-19, the Law, and Massage Therapy, The Business RMT (2021).
• COVID-19 Vaccinations and the Workplace, Breakfast Seminar, FWTA LLP (2021).
• Multi-Client Retainers and Best Practices, Key Professionalism Issues for Labour and Employment Lawyers, Ontario Bar Association (2020).
• How the New Infectious Disease Emergency Leave Impacts Employers and Employees, Ontario Bar Association (2020).
• Workplace Investigations, Advanced Employment Law, Osgoode Hall Law School (2020).
• Machine Learning and Algorithms in the Workplace, HR Insider (2019).
• Flying Solo: Best Practices for Managing Proceedings by Self-Represented Litigants, Breakfast Seminar, FWTA LLP (2019).
• Litigation for Beginners, Internal Seminar, FWTA LLP (2019 – 2022).
• Confidentiality and Privilege: Key Concepts, Internal Seminar, FWTA LLP (2019 – 2022).