Grace McDonell

Practice Areas

Grace McDonell is an associate in the firm's Labour & Employment Law Group in Toronto and advises clients on Ontario and British Columbia law.

Grace represents management in both the public and private sector, on a wide-range of labour, employment and human rights disputes, including grievance arbitrations, human rights applications, wrongful dismissal actions, employment standards claims and Charter related litigation. Grace has represented both federally and provincially regulated employers before the British Columbia Supreme Court, British Columbia Court of Appeal, British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ontario Labour Relations Board, Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Grace advises and represents employers in a number of different industries, with a particular focus in the sectors of education, public service, financial services, information technology, retail and health care.

Grace also regularly provides practical and strategic advice to employers in the areas of labour relations, human rights and accommodation, recruitment and retention, terminations with and without cause, policy development and implementation, contract drafting, workplace violence and harassment, workplace investigations, equity, diversity and inclusion related matters, performance and attendance management, restructuring and legislative compliance, as well as labour and employment issues that arise in corporate transactions.

Career

British Columbia, 2019

Ontario, 2023

Personal

Grace received her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Philosophy, with a specialization in Ethics, from the University of Toronto where she nominated by her peers to represent the graduating class at Convocation. Grace obtained her Juris Doctor from Thompson Rivers University and graduated in 2018. Upon completing her Juris Doctor, a scholarship was announced in her name and is awarded annually to a student who contributes to advancing the diversity of Canadian society. In 2022, Grace was awarded the Victoria College, University of Toronto, Emerging Leader Award which recognizes graduates who have excelled professionally or have notable accomplishments in their professional work or volunteer service.