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inthisarea

Eachofthetopicsinthis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

EMPLOYMENT

 

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isapartneratKoskieMinskyLLPNancyShapiroisanassociate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thedateofdiscovery

ofaclaim

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

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

incertainotherindividual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omission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claimisbasedThereareexceptionsFewhave

applicationforemploymentconsiderationsexceptperhapswillful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complaintswhichremainssixmonthsThissix

monthlimitationisnotatruelimitationperiodasthereremainsdis-

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establishedbysubsectiondoesnotrunduring

anytimeinwhich

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

i wilfullyconcealsfromthepersonwiththeclaimthefactthatinjury

lossordamagehasoccurredthatitwascausedbyorcontributedto

byanactoromissionorthattheactoromissionwasthatoftheperson

againstwhomtheclaimismadeor

ii wilfullymisleadsthepersonwiththeclaimastotheappropriatenessof

aproceedingasameansofremedyingtheinjurylossordamage

 RSOcHasamended

 Ibid.sprovides

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