Liam Ledgerwood

At the front end, Liam's role is to help your organization understand, simplify and control its employment risks with practical business advice so you can focus on what you do best. When employees threaten or start legal proceedings, that role shifts to providing employers with strong advocacy and representation. In either case, Liam will start by discussing your organization’s priorities and how he can tailor his approach and methods to align with those priorities.

With a strong business background, Liam understands that labour and employment concerns are just one issue among many facing start-ups, non-profits, public bodies, and businesses of all sizes. His focus is to understand the bigger picture and to make sure that your organization gets the advice and representation it needs regarding labour and employment issues.

In addition to providing day-to-day advice to employers and preparing employment-related documents (including employment agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, policies, procedures and more), Liam’s practice includes a strong focus on employer advocacy. He has represented employers in Superior Court, the Court of Appeal, Small Claims Court, the Human Rights Tribunal, the Ontario Labour Relations Board, and in employment standards claims.

Liam’s approach is to simplify the complex whenever possible. That approach has benefitted him with clients and as the course developer and instructor for the new online Employment Law for Human Resources course at Western Continuing Studies, where he is working with students aspiring to become human resources professionals.

Before joining the Labour & Employment Group, Liam received his J.D. from Western University’s Faculty of Law. Before that, he graduated top-3 in his class at Trent University where he received a B.A.H in Business Administration and International Political Economy.

• Stephen G.A. Pitel and Liam Ledgerwood, “Judicial Notice and the Internet” in the Honourable Mr. Justice Todd L. Archibald ed, Annual Review of Civil Litigation, 2018 (Toronto, Carswell, 2018)
• Judicial Confidentiality in Canada, Stephen GA Pitel & Liam Ledgerwood, 43 Queen’s Law Journal 123 (2017)

• Are COVID-19 unemployment payments deductible from wrongful dismissal damages?
• COVID-19 temporary layoffs: Not constructive dismissal after all?
• Ontario Superior Court rules employer can’t refuse to comply with termination clause and later argue it’s enforceable
• Employers: Supreme Court of Canada weighs in on discrimination, bonus entitlements
• Recent court decisions create and perpetuate uncertainty in Ontario employment law
• Business Essentials – Episode 1: Challenges related to COVID-19 facing employers now and in the future
• Federal government announces further changes to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit
• EI Work-sharing: A potential option for employers and employees
• Canada Emergency Response Benefit: a primer for employers
• Coronavirus – Employers’ frequently asked questions
• Employment law: 2019 year in review
• Can employers ask job-applicants if they are eligible to work in Canada on a “permanent basis”? That’s the $120k question.
• Court: Illegality of “for cause” termination provision in employment agreement does not taint distinct “without cause” termination provision
• Ontario court: purchaser in asset transaction cannot rely on release between employee and seller
• Termination clause update: The unclear impact of Andros v. Colliers Macaulay Nicolls Inc., 2019 ONCA 679
• We (do not?) have a deal: Mutual agreement on essential terms will make settlement binding
• Not-so-breaking news: You may not contract out of the Employment Standards Act, 2000
• Divisional Court: employees with mental stress injuries suffered at work must receive benefits though workers’ compensation; may not sue for damages
• Verbal References: The Truth Shall Set You Free
• Employers: Post and Distribute the Updated ESA Poster