Risk Management, Communication with Clients and Documentation

• Author: Larry A. Banack and Nancy M. Shapiro
• Pages: 561-587



RiskManagement

CommunicationwithClients

andDocumentation

LarryABanackandNancyMShapiro*

A. INTRODUCTION

Employmentlawlikemostareasofpracticeisa potentialmineeldfor

theunwary practitionerThispaper summarizes topicswhichpose the

greatestpotentialliabilitiestopractitionersi nthisarea

Eachof the topics int his paperis addressed in the contextof leg-

islation and common lawi n the province of Ontario The importa nce

of knowing ones client managing client expectations deali ng with

dicult clients and using strategies to protect oneself will be evident

throughout

B. POTENTIAL PITFALLS IN THE AREA OF

EMPLOYMEN T

 

OnDecemberBillwhichcontainedScheduleBLimitations

ActreceivedRoyalAssentItcameintoforceJanuaryThe

mostsignicant impactof theLimitationsAct  was to implement a

 LarryBanacki sapartneratKoskieM inskyLLPNancyShapiroisanasso ciateat

KoskieMinskyLLP

 LimitationsActSOcSchBLimitations Act

LABNMS

generallimitationperiod eectivetwoyearsfromt hedateofdiscovery

ofaclaim

Thistwoyearlim itationperiodreplacedtheformersixyearlimita-

tionperiodTheLimitations Actalsopreservedlimitationperiodssetout

incertainotheri ndividualstatutes

Claims discovered aer  January  are subjec t to the general

twoyear limitation period which runs from t he date ofd iscoverabil-

ityofthe claimAbsent evidencetothe contrarydiscoverabilityispre -

sumedto takeplaceon theday ofthe actorom issionwhich formsthe

basisoftheclaim

InemploymentsituationsdiscoverabilityisrarelyafactorItwillhow-

everplayaroleincircumstancessuchasdiscoveryofbreachesofrestrictive

covenantsandotherbreachesofcontractsorselementagreementssuchas

theobligationtoreportthatalternateemploymenthasbeensecured

There is now an ultimate limitation per iod of een years inde-

pendentofdiscoverabilitycommencingonthedayfollowing theactor

omissionon which thec laimi sbased There areexceptions Fewhave

applicationforemploymentconsiderationsexceptperhapswill fulcon-

cealmentsuchasinthecaseofabreachofcontractorduciarydutyby

anemployee

The Limitations Act does not operate to extend the time for ling

ofHuman R ights Codec omplaintswhich remains six monthsT his six

monthlimitationisnotatr uelimitationper iodasthere remainsdi s-

cretiontodealwith thecomplaintinsteadthepassageof sixmonthsis

denedasalegitimategrounduponwhichtobaseadecisionnottodeal

withthecomplaint

 Ibid.s

 Ibid.s

 Ibid.s

 Ibid.scprovides

Thelimitationperiodest ablishedbysubsec tiondoesnotrunduring

anytimeinwhic h

c Thepersonagainstwhomthec laimismade

i wilfullyconcea lsfromthepers onwiththecla imthefactthatin jury

lossordamagehasocc urredthatitwascaus edbyorcontributedto

byanactoromissionort hattheactoromissionwa sthatoftheperson

againstwhomthecl aimismadeor

ii wilfullym isleadsthepersonw iththeclaima stotheappropriatenessof

aproceedingasamea nsofremedyingt heinjurylossordamage

 RSOcHasamended

 Ibid.sprovides

WhereitappearstotheCom missionthat