Profile
Laura Cassiani is a partner in the Labour Relations & Employment Law Group in Miller Thomson’s Toronto office.
Laura provides both labour relations and employment law advice to a wide range of public and private sector employers on a variety of workplace issues, including human rights management and litigation, discipline and wrongful dismissal matters, workplace privacy, health and safety, and grievance management. She represents clients before administrative tribunals, arbitrators and the courts.
She is currently serving her third term as a Member-at-Large of the Ontario Bar Association’s Labour and Employment Law Executive. She frequently speaks and writes on issues of importance with respect to labour and employment law, and she is currently the editor of the Group’s provincial and national labour and employment law newsletters.
Laura joined the Group after completing her articles with Miller Thomson and upon her call to the Bar in 2005. She spent several months during her articles seconded to the Ontario Labour Relations Board, where she provided research assistance to the Board’s adjudicators and solicitors.
Prior to commencing her legal career, Laura worked as a newspaper reporter for The Hamilton Spectator and content editor for a legal publishing house. She subsequently worked as the employment and labour reporter for The Canadian HR Reporter.
Professional Achievements
- Special Advisor to the Board of Directors, Macaulay Child Development Centre – 2006 to Present
- Recipient, The William C. Common Award (Law Society of Upper Canada, 2005)
- Recipient, The Linda Shutt Memorial Award for excellence in print reporting (Ryerson Polytechnic University, 1998)
Memberships
- Member, Law Society of Upper Canada
- Member, Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Ontario Bar Association
- Member, Canadian Italian Business and Professionals Association of Toronto (CIBPA)
- Member, Toronto Lawyers Association
Education
- LL.B. (Cum Laude), Faculty of Law, Common Law, University of Ottawa
- Bachelor of Applied Arts, Journalism, Ryerson Polytechnic University
- Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution, York University (Atkinson College)
Publications
- Can Employers Ban Tattoos and Body Piercings in the Workplace?, Labour and Employment Communiqué, March 1, 2013
- Can Employers Ban Tattoos and Body Piercings in the Workplace?, Charities and Not-for-Profit Newsletter, February 2013
- More Freezes Coming in the Public Sector: Province Issues Draft Protecting Public Services Act, 2012, Health Communiqué, September 28, 2012
- More Freezes Coming in the Public Sector: Province Issues Draft Protecting Public Services Act, 2012, Labour and Employment Communiqué, September 27, 2012
- The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005: Will Your Organization Be Ready?, Labour and Employment Communiqué, November 18, 2011
- Court Confirms Just Cause at Common Law Does Not Automatically Disentitle Dismissed Employee to Statutory Termination and Severance Pay, Lexology, April 7, 2011, 2011
- Court Confirms Just Cause at Common Law Does Not Automatically Disentitle Dismissed Employee to Statutory Termination and Severance Pay, Labour and Employment Communiqué, April 7, 2011
- Not All Volunteers Welcome: But Organizations Must Be Aware of Human Rights Restrictions, Charities and Not-for-Profit Newsletter, July 2009
- Ontario Human Rights regime overhauled, Let's Talk Condo - Ontario, Spring 2009
- Key Labour and Employment Law Advice for Purchasers in the Context of a ‘Sale of Business’, The Law Society of Upper Canada, 2009
- The Global Workplace 101: Issues facing multinational employers, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association Magazine, 2009
- Ontario Court of Appeal Adopts Restrained Approach to Wallace Damages, Labour and Employment Communiqué, May 6, 2008
- Mandatory use of Safety-Engineered Needles in Ontario Hospitals Becomes Law, Labour and Employment Communiqué, September 24, 2007
- Case Law Update - Ontario Health Premium: Supreme Court of Canada Rejects Employer's Leave Application, Labour and Employment Communiqué, June 28, 2007
- Employee Dishonesty About Recreational Drug use not Protected Under Human Rights Legislation, Charities and Not-for-Profit Newsletter, April 2007
- Employee Dishonesty About Recreational Drug Use Not Protected Under Human Rights Legislation, Labour and Employment Communiqué, March 2007
Key Practice Expertise
Areas of Focus
- Wrongful Dismissal Matters
- Labour and Employment Litigation
- Workplace Privacy
- Grievance Arbitrations
Year of Call
- Ontario Bar, 2005