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Employment Law Services
Lecker & Associates is one of Toronto’s leading employment law firms serving clients across Ontario. Unlike many other employment law firms, our team of highly experienced Toronto employment lawyers focus on representing the right of employees. We are here to represent you, not your employer.
Our lawyers are experienced negotiators and litigators. We represent employees in restructurings, wrongful dismissals, for-cause termination, workplace investigations, layoffs, constructive dismissals, unjust dismissals, long-term disability, and human rights matters.
We provide employment law services for employees of Ontario.
We have represented thousands of terminated employees to assist them in obtaining the severance packages that they are entitled to. We level the playing field in severance negotiations and litigation by providing you with knowledgeable and fierce advocacy to obtain your fair and lawful entitlements.
We level this playing field
Our results speak for themselves. We are one of the most highly ranked employment law firms in Ontario on Google, receiving hundreds of 5-star reviews from satisfied clients.
Client Testimonials
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I have had the privilege of working with Lecker & Associates on two separate occasions, and both experiences have been outstanding. Mathew Fisher and his team were exceptional in handling... read more
Michelle Albanese
I had the privilege of working with Matthew Fisher and Eslita Ramkishun at Lecker & Associates, and I couldn’t be more pleased with their services. From start to finish, they... read more
Michael Wang
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Lecker & Associates helped me in resolving my employment matter to my full satisfaction. Their team of professionals have a very streamlined intake process and they really fight for you... read more
Som ANet
I recently had the pleasure of working with Lecker & Associates and I cannot commend the entire team enough for their exceptional professionalism and support. From start to finish, they... read more
Jose Duran
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It was great working with Kimberley and Nicole. They guided and supported me through the entire process, regularly kept me up to date, and provided all the information I needed.... read more
david quinio
Had an excellent experience with this firm. Shira Levine is extremely professional and knowledgeable. She made me feel comfortable and answered all of my questions and/or concerns that... read more
Tamara Kdr
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I had the pleasure of working with Maria Esmatyar and her Law clerk, Jassanthy Pakirisamy. Maria Esmatyar is a trustworthy, confident and knowledgeable employment lawyer and was dedicated to helping... read more
Mayur Soni
I lost my job in April, and Ian Hurley and Nathan did an amazing job helping me through it. Every step and every move was discussed and explained thoroughly. I've rarely... read more
Yana Bilousova
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Jared Lecker and his law clerk Jassanthy Pakirisamy are excellent the best in their work and help me out for my settlement. Best wishes.. and many thanks, Ali... read more
ME -
Maria and Jass were extremely professional and personable. The entire process was seamless and both ensured ongoing communication and follow up. Thank you for caring through a stressful... read more
Laurie Opie
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The team at Lecker Law helped me with my employment settlement. Not only did they patiently listen to all my concerns, they addressed each one throughout the process an... read more
Dan San
The team at Lecker Law helped me with my employment settlement. Not only did they patiently listen to all my concerns, they addressed each one throughout the process an were able... read more
Dan San
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Maria Esmatyar and Jassanthy were fabulous to work with as they worked through my claim to a successful conclusion. I received regular progress updates, had the ability to review and... read more
Birch’s Birch
I had the pleasure of working with Maria Esmatyar and Jassanthy as my lawyers and they were both amazing in every way. They were very kind and helpful throughout the... read more
Alexander Monardo
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Maria and Jass were very helpful, attentive and always kept me informed throughout the entire process.
Jimd2500
I had the pleasure of working with Kimberley and her team in a sudden turn of events which made the situation so stressful for me. Tina, Nicole, the team, they... read more
Mallika Makhijani
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Matthew and Eslita are both great to work with. Matthew is very thorough in explaining the process he is following and Eslita is super responsive. I highly recommend for anyone... read more
Jon Dermott
I was referred to Matthew Fisher and Eslita Ramkishun at Lecker & Associates. I am truly appreciative of their dedication, expertise, and unwavering support throughout the process. I felt in... read more
Jeffrey Teh
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I greatly appreciated the help of Ian Hurling at Leckers Law. He is highly knowledgeable and experienced. I greatly appreciated his to-the-point communications with me. He was able to translate... read more
Glenys Babcock
I could tell I was in good hands with Kimberley and Tina, and that makes a big difference when navigating a situation like this. They made sure I had the... read more
Steve Gold
Our lawyers have argued a number of leading cases that have advanced employee rights in Ontario. Our commentary and cases regularly appear in media across the country including the Globe and Mail, CTV News, CBC News, the Toronto Star, the Financial Post, and CP24, where we regularly appeared on the weekly series “Ask a Lawyer”.
Wrongful Dismissal
If you are terminated from your job, and you did not commit serious wilful misconduct, you are entitled to compensation from your employer. Usually, this comes in the form of a “severance package” where the employer offers you an amount in exchange for your signature. Finding yourself in this circumstance can be one of the most vulnerable and difficult times that an employee can face in their career.
Fortunately, as an employee in Ontario, you have substantial rights to income protection following a termination of employment. The key is to both understand your rights, and
What is meant by “wrongful dismissal” is that the employer failed to advise you that you are about to lose your job, not that the job loss was wrong. The employer legally must notify you that your job is going to end and if they fail to do that, pay you out the equivalent sum including all of its components of your remuneration. If your employer has not fulfilled these obligations or provides a lowball offer, they can be sued for wrongful dismissal. Our Toronto employment lawyers are on the cutting-edge of employment law litigation and will masterfully advocate for you from start to finish.
Pregnancy, Maternity and Parental Leave
If you want to pause your career and take time to care for a new family, employment laws guarantee job security. These types of leaves away from work for mothers, fathers and adoptive parents occur during and after pregnancy. As a result, you are entitled to have your original job back and any benefits previously owed. If your job has been made redundant, you are entitled to a similar position with the same salary. If your employers do not return you to your role, make negative comments or even dismiss you from your job because of pregnancy or parental leave, hire an employment lawyer immediately. We will help decide what legal avenue is best for your case via a human rights claim, the Ministry of Labour or a wrongful dismissal suit.
Workplace Harassment
Workplace harassment is illegal in Ontario. We introduced legislation specifically to address and eradicate it in 2009. You have the right to work in a safe and healthy workplace. When left unchecked, workplace harassment can escalate to violence. It can cause mental or physical health problems and lead to staff absences. At its peak, it can result in a toxic workplace and constructive dismissal. This type of behaviour benefits nobody and there is no reason whatsoever for your employer to stand by and do nothing about it. If you are in this situation, then you need our employment lawyers to step in to educate your employer.
Job Layoffs
Job layoffs can be temporary, consecutive or shams. It is normally illegal to tell a worker “don’t come into work for a few weeks” without pay. Frequently, employers do not comply with the governing law on layoffs. They will let employees go hoping they will forget about their job and their severance. Temporary job layoffs must be communicated with a return date. When this is not done, we call it a sham layoff because it can be grounds for a wrongful dismissal lawsuit. Sham or bogus layoffs are when employers keep employees in a cycle of ‘hired’ or ‘temporarily fired’ to avoid severance payouts. If this sounds like your situation, call us as soon as possible at 416-223-5391 or complete our online contact form to schedule a consultation to discuss your case. The longer the delay in protesting this job layoff, the more difficult it comes.
Denied Disability Benefit Claims
After years of working for an employer, you may suffer from an injury or illness brought on by physical or mental strain. You cannot work anymore, so you apply for income replacement benefits via the employer’s group insurance benefits while you try to recover. Insurance companies then decide your application as to whether you are actually disabled. They will game the system by denying you benefits because of the profit incentives from the premiums they charge. If this happens to you, we know it is an extremely frustrating and confusing system to navigate alone. Our lawyers will bring insurance companies to the negotiating table, greatly ease the stress involved and allow you to focus on your recovery.
Constructive Dismissal
Also known as “Quiet firing/quitting”, or a ‘toxic’ workplace, constructive dismissal is when your employer makes major changes to the terms and conditions of your employment. The intent is to get a worker to quit or resign as employees who quit in Canada are not entitled to income protection. This is precipitated by some material change in employment terms or the development of an unbearable working environment. Bully bosses, removal of sales territory or demotion to a humiliating role fall into this category. Other conditions like unilateral changes to aspects of compensation with little to no warning or workplace harassment are grounds for alleging constructive dismissal. The variables of these changes and types of workplaces are endless, but it requires a court to find it impossible for you to work under those changed conditions. If this sounds like your situation, contact the employment lawyers at Lecker & Associates before quitting or sending a nasty e-mail to your boss. We work hard to resolve your legal problems, which require a delicate approach we have great familiarity with.
Contract Workers’ Rights
The law imposes a multitude of obligations on employers in the event they have an employee. To avoid those obligations, employers will purposely misclassify, contract and pay you like an independent contractor (who do not receive any employment benefits). A misclassification of employment status is unlawful and your employer can be fined or sued for misclassifying your role, regardless of what the paper you signed (or did not sign) says your relationship is. Our law firm has been critical in establishing a middle contractor or what is called “Dependent contractors” who rely heavily on an employer for approximately 45% of their income. Our team of legal specialists will simplify the law here and counsel you to get the compensation you deserve.
Severance Negotiations
C-level employees, executives and managers have components to their remuneration including incentives, equities and bonuses that companies are loathed to pay in a dismissal. Our employment lawyers are masters in maximizing your severance package and litigating where negotiated settlement falls short. We offer highly competitive rates and unparalleled litigators.
We Can Help
Awareness of Your Rights Offers You The Power to Level The Playing Field With Your Employer.
Employment Law Services in Toronto
The expert employment lawyers at Lecker & Associates have over 35 years of experience advocating for employee rights and denied disability benefits.
Call us at 416-223-5391 or complete our online contact form to schedule a consultation to discuss your case.