Harris & Company

Firm Details 

Managing Partner: Lindsie M. Thomson

Number of partners: 30 Number of other fee-earners: 25

Firm Overview 

Main Areas of Practice  

Aboriginal Law: 

Harris provides a range of services in Aboriginal law. The firm assists First Nations, Chief and Council, their associated entities and other Indigenous organisations across Western Canada and the Territories on federal and provincial employment legislation, governance issues, privacy issues, and complex commercial and employment litigation. The team also offers human resource solutions tailored to its Indigenous clients, including advice on employee management, human rights, unjust and wrongful dismissals, social media, and the drafting of workplace policies and employment contracts to help clients pro-actively manage these areas.

Contact: Arthur Grant

Tel: 1 236 260 1604

Email: [email protected]

Administrative Law:  

Administrative law requires extensive knowledge spanning all of the statutory environments in which decisions are made. Harris’ practice offers clients a team that is experienced, creative and strategic, and one that includes strong advocates and good negotiators. The firm assists with a wide range of administrative law issues including applications and submissions made to regulators, licensors and other administrative decision makers, and also represents clients at hearings held by administrative decision makers. Administrative law clients include corporations, partnerships and other business entities which interact with an administrative decision maker such as an administrative tribunal, a licensing body, or a regulator.

Contact: Rodney W. Sieg

Tel: 1 778 328 2505

Email: [email protected]

Education Law:  

Harris is a leader in education law in British Columbia, representing and providing strategic and principled advice to K-12 schools and a variety of post-secondary institutions across the province. Harris employs its deep understanding of the context in which educational institutions operate to enable them to fulfil their educational mandate by preventing and solving problems in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Contact: Lindsie M. Thomson

Tel: 1 604 891 2226

Email: [email protected]

Employment Law: 

Harris advises non-union clients on all aspects of the employment relationship. The firm bases its advice on: knowledge of the client’s strategic, personal and business goals; specific issues in the workplace; and the overall legal and business considerations in the industry. Harris provides clients with efficient and cost-effective advice through a range of in-house experience, combining leaders in the field with best-in-class new talent.

Contact: Nicole C.M. Toye

Tel: 1 778 328 2506

Email: [email protected]

Human Rights Law:  

Harris lawyers provide strategic and thoughtful advice on all aspects of the Human Rights Code, provincial and federal human rights statutes, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Practitioners work with employers to identify potential risks and to ensure their workplace culture addresses the current and evolving legal environment. When a problem arises, Harris has the breadth and depth of experience to provide strategy, investigate complaints and represent lawyers at tribunals.

Contact: Adriana F. Wills

Tel: 1 604 891 2201

Email: [email protected]

Immigration Law: 

At Harris, we provide integrated and streamlined workplace solutions to employment and immigration issues by providing strategic, timely and efficient advice for employers to bring their global workforce to Canada on temporary and permanent assignments. We can provide proactive guidance to employers on compliance with immigration program requirements and advocacy on behalf of employers in the event of immigration compliance reviews.

Contact: Jae-Yeon Lim

Tel: 1 778 328 2545

Email: [email protected]

Labour Law: 

Harris understands the employer-union relationship and offers employers a full range of labour law services. The firm’s approach is people-focused, based on building strong, genuine, and long-term relationships with its clients and helping them maintain lasting relationships with their own workforces. Practitioners gain an understanding of their client’s business and culture, often visiting them in the field to see their client’s operations firsthand. The team then draws on industry knowledge and the law to offer practical solutions to legal issues.

Contact: Lindsie M. Thomson

Tel: 1 604 891 2226

Email: [email protected]

Litigation: 

Harris understands that litigation can be expensive, and it helps clients first examine preventative and cost-efficient alternatives such as negotiation, mediation and arbitration. When needed, however, Harris litigators vigorously and skillfully pursue all avenues of litigation. The team brings broad experience working across a variety of sectors and industries, combined with specialised knowledge about employment, shareholder and partnership issues.

Contact: Geoffrey Litherland

Tel: 1 604 891 2234

Email: [email protected]

Privacy & Access to Information:  

Harris has significant experience advising provincially regulated public bodies on their obligations under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA); federally regulated private sector employers on their obligations under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA); and provincially regulated private sector employers on issues arising under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). In this rapidly changing area of law, Harris privacy practitioners help clients navigate the competing obligations under this complex legislative framework and have represented clients in numerous complaints, inquiries, and reviews before the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Contact: Suzanne M. Kennedy

Tel: 1 604 891 2216

Email: [email protected]

Workers’ Compensation/OH&S:  

Harris works with clients using in-depth knowledge of, and experience with the workers’ compensation system to help clients fulfill their legal rights and obligations, evaluate and respond to compensation claims, and ultimately to reduce costs. If an incident or injury arises in the workplace, Harris will assist employers to navigate the administrative process and fully represent them and protect their interests. Harris also works with clients to ensure they are classified in the most appropriate rate group for the purposes of assessments, and provides strategic advice regarding the use and classification of contractors. Whether it be through adjudications, appeals, applications, or leveraging our relationships with senior members of WorkSafeBC, Harris ensures employers have the tools and representation necessary to navigate all aspects of the workers’ compensation system.

Harris is widely recognised as a leading Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) firm in Western Canada, and provides clients with expertise in all aspects of workplace health and safety. Harris has the knowledge and experience to provide clients with day-to-ay advice on safety issues, as well as to respond where serious incidents and accidents occur to ensure employers properly respond to such incidents and minimise the risk of administrative fines and prosecutions. Where enforcement action is taken, Harris can assist clients in challenging orders and penalties and responding to prosecutions so as to avoid costs and protect their interests.

Contact: Andrew C. Wood

Tel: 1 604 891 2242

Email: [email protected]

Practice Areas & Offices:  

Aboriginal Law

Administrative Law

Education Law

Employment Law

Human Rights Law

Immigration Law

Labour Law

Litigation

Privacy & Access to Information

Workers’ Compensation &

Occupational Health & Safety

Offices  

CANADA 

VANCOUVER: Harris & Company LLP

1400 – 550 Burrard Street

BC V6C 2B5

Tel: 1 604 684 6633 Fax 1 604 684 6632

Email: [email protected]