No!

Employers will often offer to pay a terminated employee some amount of compensation, and threaten to pay even less (or nothing at all) if the employee doesn’t sign off on the offer.

In reality, the employer might be required to pay a lot more than they are offering.

We always recommend that terminated employees speak to a local employment lawyer before they agree to any offers from their employers – no matter how good the deal looks.

A Hamilton employment lawyer will be able to tell you if the employer’s offer is fair and reasonable, or if you should hold out for more. Our team can help you negotiate for a fair severance package and ensure you are getting the compensation you are owed.

No, actually: our initial conversation is free and no obligation.

From there, you should be skeptical of any firms that try to give you a simple or too-good-to-be-true answer to this question! The reality is: it depends.

In some cases, we may be able to point you in the right direction for free during our initial conversation. In other cases, you may need our help on an ongoing basis to negotiate a settlement or fight an unfair employer in court. We don't take a one-size-fits-all approach in these cases. We'll make sure our fees are fair, reasonable and transparent in every case, depending on the risk and complexity of your case and how far we have to fight it.

For most wrongful dismissal cases we are retained on, we operate on a deferred-fee basis, which means we don't get paid until the end of your case.

In all cases, we make sure that there are no surprises when it comes to our bills. You'll understand how the legal costs will work in your particular situation before you make any decisions about how to proceed.

The best way to find out about the legal costs expected in your particular case is to give us a call or request a free callback from one of our employment lawyers. We look forward to speaking with you!

Probably - but maybe not the ones you think!

Employers often put time limits on their offers after firing an employee. You shouldn't ignore these deadlines, but the reality is that these time limits are usually arbitrary and can often be negotiated.

The more important deadlines relate to how long you have to begin legal proceedings after a termination. In most cases, you have a maximum of 2 years to start a lawsuit. But, in some cases, even shorter deadlines might apply.

So the general rules is that you should seek legal advice as early as possible so we can identify any important deadlines and make sure your rights are protected.

It's helpful if you can include in your message any key dates, including when you started a job, when you were fired if applicable, and any deadlines you have been given. It's also good to know what kind of work you were doing, who your employer was, and the basic circumstances of your termination.

But don't worry - you don't need to include every single detail right now. We will fill in any blanks when we speak.

Unfortunately, in most cases we are unable to assist unionized employees with employment disputes. When a collective agreement is in place, most employment issues that arise - like wrongful terminations - have to be dealt with via the union through a grievance arbitration process. We are unable to help with this process. You should make sure your union is aware of your issues and follow-up to ensure they are addressing it.

However, like all rules, there are some exceptions. For example, we can often still assist employees with disability insurance (LTD) disputes when their claims get denied, even if they are in a union. In addition, human rights/discrimination claims can also sometimes be maintained by an employee personally, despite being unionized. So if in doubt, it doesn't hurt to ask!