Ontario directory

Employment & Labour Law Firms in City of Ottawa, Ontario

110 law firms.

What does an employment lawyer in Ottawa do?

An Ottawa employment lawyer advises workers and employers on the rules that govern a job, from hiring and pay through discipline and dismissal. For most provincially regulated jobs, those rights come from Ontario's Employment Standards Act, 2000, which sets minimum standards for wages, hours, vacation, leaves, and termination and is administered by the Ministry of Labour. When a larger claim goes to court, it's filed at the Superior Court of Justice at the Ottawa Courthouse, 161 Elgin Street.

Much of the work happens before any filing. A lawyer reviews a severance offer, a non-compete clause, or a contract and explains what the law requires. Local employers range from downtown offices to the tech firms in Kanata.

Does the Employment Standards Act or the Canada Labour Code apply to you?

It depends on who you work for. Most Ontario jobs fall under the Employment Standards Act, but federally regulated sectors such as banks, telecommunications, and interprovincial transport follow the Canada Labour Code instead. That distinction carries more weight here than in most Ontario cities.

The capital has a large federal public-service and federally regulated workforce, so the federal regime and public-service rules come up far more often here than provincial standards alone. If you work for a bank, a telecom, or the public service, your notice periods and complaint routes may run through federal law. Sorting out which regime governs your job is usually a lawyer's first step.

How does a wrongful dismissal claim work in Ontario?

When someone is let go without cause, the Employment Standards Act sets only the floor for termination notice or pay. Common-law wrongful-dismissal notice can run well beyond those minimums, depending on age, length of service, and the type of role. Claims for that additional notice are pursued in the Superior Court of Justice.

Workplace discrimination is handled on a different track. A complaint about discrimination or harassment goes to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario under the Ontario Human Rights Code, not to the courts. A human rights application generally has to be filed within a year, and severance offers often carry their own signing deadline, so someone in Orleans or Stittsville is usually better off getting advice before signing.

How do you choose an employment law firm in Ottawa?

Start with a firm that regularly handles your side, whether you're an employee reviewing a severance package or an employer defending a claim, and that knows both regimes. Ask who will carry your file, how they charge, and whether they've argued matters at the Superior Court and the Human Rights Tribunal. Because the capital's workforce spans both systems, experience with the Canada Labour Code is worth confirming. Firms serve clients across Ottawa, Nepean, Kanata, Orleans, and Stittsville, so there's usually one within reach.

You can confirm any lawyer's standing on the Law Society of Ontario directory. Browse the employment & labour law firms in Ottawa below.

Allan Snelling LLP

3 lawyers

Allan Snelling LLP is a full-service law firm based in Kanata, serving the Ottawa and Kanata area. Its lawyers practice personal injury, business and employment law, wills and estates, and criminal and quasi-criminal …

Personal InjuryPersonal InjuryBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & Trusts

Altair Law

1 lawyer

Altair Law is an Ottawa business law firm that serves entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small and medium-sized businesses. The firm handles corporate and commercial law, commercial litigation, employment law, commercial l…

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & Trusts

BARAPP Personal Injury Law Firm, the flagship office of BARAPP Law Alliance, is a Toronto personal injury practice led by Eric Barapp, whose father and grandfather also practiced law. The firm represents clients acros…

Personal InjuryPersonal InjuryInsurance LawInsurance LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

Bell Baker LLP

13 lawyers · Est. 1957

Bell Baker LLP is a full-service law firm based in Ottawa, founded in 1957. The firm has about fifteen lawyers serving individuals, corporations, and institutions across the greater Eastern Ontario area, with practice…

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawReal Estate LawReal Estate LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsAdministrative & Regulatory LawAdministrative & Regulatory Law

Bennett Jones LLP

16 lawyers

Bennett Jones LLP is a national Canadian business law firm with more than a century of history, grown from a ten-lawyer prairie town office to a firm with offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vanco…

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionTax LawTax LawReal Estate LawReal Estate Law

Bennett McIntyre Mysicka LLP is a general-practice law firm based in Carleton Place, Ontario, with a second office in Nepean, serving Lanark County, the Ottawa Valley and the Greater Ottawa area. The firm focuses on r…

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionFamily LawFamily LawReal Estate LawReal Estate Law

Bird Richard

4 lawyers

Bird Richard is a management-side labour and employment law firm based in Ottawa, representing private and public sector employers across Canada. The firm handles wrongful dismissal litigation, labour arbitration, hum…

Employment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

Black & Associates

5 lawyers

Black & Associates is a civil litigation, employment, and public law firm based in Ottawa, serving businesses and individuals across Ottawa, Toronto, and Eastern Ontario. It handles commercial disputes, contract and s…

Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawAdministrative & Regulatory LawAdministrative & Regulatory LawBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate Law

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

369 lawyers · Est. 1856

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes) is a national business law firm with offices in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, New York and London. The firm has practised business law in Canada since 1856 and ru…

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawReal Estate LawReal Estate LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawBankruptcy & InsolvencyBankruptcy & Insolvency

Bonney Law

1 lawyer · Est. 2024

Bonney Law is an Ottawa firm founded by Alexandria Bonney in 2024, focused on human rights and employee-side employment litigation. The firm takes a trauma-informed approach and represents clients before the Superior …

Employment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

Brazeau Seller Law

24 lawyers · Est. 1989

Brazeau Seller Law is an Ottawa business law firm founded in 1989, originally designed to serve family-owned businesses and help protect and grow their wealth. Today the firm offers corporate and commercial, real esta…

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawReal Estate LawReal Estate LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionTax LawTax Law

Brooker Law Office Professional Corporation is a personal injury and employment law firm in Ottawa. It's run by Tom Brooker, who has practised civil litigation since being called to the Ontario Bar in 1988 and focuses…

Personal InjuryPersonal InjuryEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

Cariati Law

7 lawyers

Cariati Law is an Ontario personal injury firm that serves clients across the province from offices in Mississauga, Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener, Ottawa, Barrie and Sudbury. It handles motor vehicle accidents, slip an…

Personal InjuryPersonal InjuryInsurance LawInsurance LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

Carters Professional Corporation

17 lawyers · Est. 2001

Carters is a law firm established in 2001 that focuses on charity and not-for-profit law, with offices in Orangeville, Ottawa, and Toronto. It also serves individuals, corporations, and businesses across litigation, r…

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionIntellectual PropertyIntellectual PropertyEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

Cavanagh LLP

6 lawyers

Cavanagh LLP is a boutique litigation firm in Ottawa, formerly known as Cavanagh Williams Conway Baxter LLP, focused on commercial litigation, insurance and tort, professional liability, mediation and arbitration, and…

Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionInsurance LawInsurance LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

Caza Saikaley LLP

8 lawyers

Caza Saikaley LLP is an Ottawa litigation firm founded by Ronald F. Caza and Jeff G. Saikaley, whose lawyers all practise in both English and French. The firm concentrates on complex civil, commercial, and constitutio…

Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawConstruction LawConstruction Law

Champ & Associates

6 lawyers · Est. 2009

Champ & Associates is a boutique litigation firm in downtown Ottawa focused on workplace fairness and social justice advocacy. It represents clients across Canada in employment law, labour law, and related public inte…

Employment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionAdministrative & Regulatory LawAdministrative & Regulatory Law

Chressa Law

1 lawyer

Chressa Law is a Kanata, Ontario firm led by Christiana Essie Sagay, practising employment law for both employees and employers, immigration and mobility law, international and cross-border matters, and technology and…

Employment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawImmigration LawImmigration LawTechnology & StartupsTechnology & StartupsNotary & Commissioner ServicesNotary & Commissioner Services

Christopher E. Clermont is a sole-practice lawyer and notary public based in Ottawa, practising employment law, wills and estates, and civil litigation. He has been in private practice since 1989 and represents employ…

Employment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Claim.ca

1 lawyer

Claim.ca is the personal legal practice of Marty Mikhail, a Barrister and Solicitor licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, practising in association with Quinn Thiele Mineault Grodzki LLP. The Ottawa-based practice r…

Personal InjuryPersonal InjuryEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

Conlin Bedard LLP

15 lawyers

Conlin Bedard LLP is an Ottawa-based law firm focused on international trade law, federal regulatory matters, and related litigation. Its lawyers advise corporations, governments, and industry clients on customs, trad…

Administrative & Regulatory LawAdministrative & Regulatory LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionIndigenous LawIndigenous LawIntellectual PropertyIntellectual Property

David | Sauvé LLP

11 lawyers

David | Sauvé LLP is a bilingual boutique litigation firm with offices in Ottawa and Montréal, serving clients across Canada and North America. The firm's lawyers handle civil, commercial, and administrative litigatio…

Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsPersonal InjuryPersonal Injury

Dimitrov Law Professional Corporation is a business law firm in Ottawa founded by Atanas Dimitrov. It advises business owners and employers on corporate law, contract negotiations, employment law, business dispute res…

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawReal Estate LawReal Estate LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & Trusts

DMC LLP

2 lawyers · Est. 2010

DMC LLP is a boutique Toronto law firm that has worked exclusively with dentists across Canada since 2010. It advises on buying, selling, and structuring dental practices, along with employment contracts, leasing, and…

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsReal Estate LawReal Estate Law