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As Head of Pallett Valo’s Employment & Labour Practice Group, Andy Balaura focuses exclusively on employment and labour law, representing large, mid-sized and small businesses and corporations.
Clients in a wide variety of industries seek his strategic and practical advice on all aspects of the employment relationship.
Led by many years of experience, Andy acts for corporate clients on a broad range of human resource issues. These include drafting employment and contractor agreements, advising on employee discipline and dismissal, negotiating severance packages, developing workplace policies, conducting workplace investigations, advising on privacy obligations and obligations of departing employees, and assisting employers with their compliance obligations pursuant to employment standards and human rights legislation. He also conducts human resource and employment audits on behalf of employers to ensure compliance with applicable laws and preventative best practices.
When it comes to corporate transactions, restructurings and insolvencies, he regularly assists corporate counsel in workplace law issues. Furthermore, Andy provides ongoing guidance to employers as they deal with matters related to union organizing, collective agreement interpretations and grievance arbitration. He uses a proactive and business-minded approach in assisting clients to resolve workplace disputes in an efficient manner.
His impressive track-record includes appearing as litigation counsel before the Ontario Courts on wrongful dismissal matters, injunctive proceedings, and occupational health and safety prosecutions. Andy has also represented numerous employer clients before arbitrators, the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Tribunal, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and the Privacy Commissioner’s office. He vigorously represents the interests of his clients throughout the litigation process.
In addition, Andy conducts third party investigations and advises organizations on compliance with privacy-related statutes. A frequent presenter on employment-related topics, he is also active in the community as a director of several not-for-profit organizations.
Expertise
- Commercial Litigation,
- Employment and Labour,
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (Arbitration & Mediation),
- Constructive Dismissal,
- Employment Agreements,
- Employment Litigation,
- Executive Compensation,
- Grievance Arbitration,
- Harassment and Discrimination,
- Health and Safety Policies and Procedures,
- Human Rights Matters,
- Injunctions and Breach of Covenants,
- Labour Relations,
- Management Training,
- Mediations,
- Occupational Health and Safety,
- Privacy Law and Audits,
- Reprisals and Reinstatements,
- Restrictive Covenants (Confidentiality, Non-Solicitation and Intellectual Property Agreements),
- Temporary Layoffs,
- Warnings and Progressive Discipline,
- Workplace Accommodation,
- Workplace Audits,
- Workplace Investigations,
- Workplace Policies and Procedures Development and Review (including Employee Handbooks),
- Workplace Safety and Insurance,
- Wrongful Dismissal Litigation
I appreciate Andy’s knowledgeable and practical advice, as well as his responsiveness and personable nature.
