Quick link: download Legal Services Access Form
Members enjoy legal support in a variety of situations
Articles of a legal nature support you as an employee and as an employer. These can be found under Articles, found on the left navigation bar.
Quick link: download Legal Services Access Form
Members enjoy legal support in a variety of situations
Articles of a legal nature support you as an employee and as an employer. These can be found under Articles, found on the left navigation bar.
Many members also use the member consultation services. Contacting the lawyer doesn’t mean immediate legal action. Throughout the process you will always have full control of the process and your legal counsel will not take any action on your behalf without your complete agreement. Involving a lawyer does not mean that the discussions have to be adversarial, oftentimes involving a neutral third person for assistance or advice can de-escalate conflict and enable you to learn more about your rights, and explore creative options or strategies to resolve your concerns in a positive way.
Here are some situations when our members have consulted with the lawyer:
- Harassment complaint brought against the member, or being experienced by a member;
- Legislative compliance matter, where member has been named in an official notice;
- Notice of discipline placed in file;
- An unexpected poor performance review, with or without other indicators that termination might be the eventual outcome;
- Unilateral changing your scope or duties, i.e., a reduction in your pay grade, change in title, change in the location of employment, changing the reporting structure or removing employees from your supervision without notice;
- Pressure or questions about voluntary retirement or resigning from your employment;
- Access to and continuation of short- and long-term disability benefits; or
- Review of new employment contracts when moving to another college or accepting a promotion.
Of course, members should always immediately access legal services when they receive a notice of termination, or notice that their current position is being reorganized. We strongly recommend that you also consult with a lawyer if you encounter this situation, prior to signing or agreeing to anything.
Because of distances across the province, these consultations are completed by telephone as needed. Email/fax correspondence is also used to quickly relay documents and information. Click here to download the Legal Services Access Form and Information.
WEBINAR: Understanding legal services (about 45 minutes)
Law Firm
RAVEN, CAMERON, BALLANTYNE & YAZBECK LLP is OCASA’s legal services provider. Raven Law brings extensive experience in employment law with services available in both official languages.
Ella Forbes-Chilibeck is OCASA’s lead counsel, having provided legal advice to OCASA members since August 2009.
Ella represents individuals and organizations seeking advice on employment termination, human rights discrimination, disability and accommodation in the workplace, accessing and maintaining disability benefits, and allegations of harassment or abuse.
Ella joined Raven Law in January, 2014, after six years with another employment law firm in the Ottawa region. Ella articled with a boutique employment and labour law firm and working on the implementation of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act under the Federal Accountability Act.
Before pursuing law, Ella enjoyed a successful career as a behavioural consultant, mediating conflict and developing successful coping strategies with individuals experiencing cognitive, physical, and emotional challenges.
Ella is motivated by the positive effect she can have on the lives of others. She is passionate about her advocacy, striving to make sure her clients are heard. She enjoys creating connections between people with common interests and goals as a means to create and build stronger and more supportive communities. Although tenacious, she is also the first to find humor in a difficult situation and, where possible, to find practical solutions and common ground between polarized parties.
On weekends Ella can be found spending time with her friends and family, gardening, reading, or chasing after her dogs
For more information about Raven Law, visit their website.