When you need to hire an employment lawyer, you are not looking for a criminal defense attorney. Although they are often lumped together under the general term “lawyers,” employment lawyers have different skills and training than criminal defense attorneys do. You may be able to find some information about your choice online or by asking friends or other professionals whose judgment you trust. This article describes how to start that process by identifying potential candidates and conducting initial interviews with them. And it provides detailed suggestions on what to look for during those interviews.

The goal is acquiring good service at a reasonable cost. A good employment lawyer will operate by the hour, with billing rates ranging from $200 to $500 or more per hour. These rates are in addition to any disbursements (court filing fees, photocopying) and taxes that may be charged on top of the billable amount.

The best employment lawyer Toronto works for you or your company, not for a provincial or federal government agency responsible for employment law matters. So they are paid hourly only while they are working on your case. This means that employment lawyers have strong incentives to get their time billed out quickly rather than dragging out the process needlessly. They also have an incentive to keep costs down so as not to waste money that could otherwise be collected from their client. This self-interest results in employment lawyers who are good negotiators, efficient workers and accurate billers.

Employment lawyer Toronto needs to keep up with the law in order to do their job well. They generally read employment law cases reported by courts across Canada — Federal Court, provincial superior courts (Supreme Courts) and appellate courts. They also refer frequently to employment decisions made by administrative tribunals such as human rights commissions and labour relations boards. These bodies often hear appeals of employment law matters that were decided in lower courts or in employment arbitrations between employers and unions or employee organizations. Employment laws can be found under federal statutes like the Canadian Human Rights Act , the Canada Labour Code, and provincial statutes like The Ontario Employment Standards Act . But they can also be found in common law that has evolved over the years through employment law case precedents.

Employment lawyers are specialists who help people with employment issues resolve disputes before they go to court or arbitration. They advise employers and employees about employment rights, employment responsibilities, employment contracts, wrongful dismissal, severance pay and employment laws in general. Their advice can be extremely helpful for individuals facing employment problems such as layoffs, wage negotiations or even conflict resolution. Employment lawyers will often let you know whether you have a good case worth pursuing, but they generally do not take your case on a contingency basis (you don’t pay if you lose). Employment lawyers are paid hourly fees only while working on your file .