Labour Lawyer



Looking for change in 2024? We are hiring an experienced labour lawyer to join our balanced and fun workplace law practice. We have a growing number of union and management clients in BC and Alberta, including in the policing, health, social services, and retail sectors. Yes, you read that right – we are not only on one side or the other. We enjoy the perspective and variety this brings to our practice. Our focus is on fairness and respect.

Our ideal candidate can independently manage grievance and Labour Relations Board files, including representing clients at hearings, and is willing to advise clients in both BC and Alberta. While we need someone who wants to spend at least 50% of their practice in labour law, we also offer a practice that can include one or more of our other practice areas: employment law, human rights, workplace investigations, and bystander training through StandUP Teams™.

We serve our community best by reflecting its diversity. We welcome applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and lived experiences, and from members of groups that are underrepresented in the legal profession.

Our core values are:
  • Heart – We put our hearts into our work.
  • Kindness – We stand alongside our colleagues, clients, and community, empowering them to make confident decisions.
  • Courage – Fierce advocates, we are relentlessly innovative and find creative ways to solve problems and improve access to justice.

Candidates can expect from us:
  • Community & giving. We support our lawyers to give back through pro bono work, public legal education, and other local volunteer work.
  • Inclusion. We are committed to making our practice inclusive, equitable, and accessible – for our team and also for our clients.
  • Sustainable work. We believe that lawyers should have control over their practices and their lives. It is life-work balance here, not work-life. We do our best work for our clients when we can decide how much work to take on, and what type of files will be our focus.
  • Flexibility. We have lawyers working successfully in a variety of arrangements – full-time, part-time, contract work and remote work are all proven options. Our lawyers set their own schedules.

Our ideal candidate:
You are an experienced labour lawyer who is called in BC, open to advising both employer and union clients in BC and Alberta. You have at least 3 year’s experience in labour law and can run your own hearings, with some support. We have no maximum experience in mind and welcome senior applicants.  Experience or interest in one of our other practice areas (employment law, human rights, workplace investigations, and respectful workplace training) is an asset.

To fit in here, you need to be practice from a place of respect and care for coworkers, clients, and other members of our communities, and be ready to have some fun at work. Remote work is fine, in whole or in part – or you can work from our offices in Surrey or Calgary. We are open to full-time or part-time work, and offer a comprehensive group benefits package. Assuming full time work, our salary range is $100,000 to $200,000, which can be prorated for part time, plus bonus eligibility.

Sound Interesting?

Email your cover letter and resume and list of your reported decisions (if any) to info@fortelaw.ca with the subject line “Labour Lawyer Candidate”. Please include in your cover letter or separately a summary of the types of labour files you have worked on and your level of autonomy over those files.

All inquiries are confidential. Applications close January 1, 2024.