Our Practice Areas
Over the years, we have narrowed our practice areas to focus on the things we know and care about. Read below to find out more about our practice areas: Mediation, Employment Law & Investigations, Integrity Governance & Administrative Law, Estate Law, and Business Law.
Mediation
If you are curious about mediation, it means you care about finding an alternative way of resolving conflict. We are with you. Litigation is expensive, time-consuming, stressful and risky. Mediation saves time and money. It empowers people to reach a confidential and mutually acceptable agreement themselves. It often reduces animosity and helps to preserve relationships.
We make the inevitability of conflict less daunting. Drawing on practice experience as a lawyer, Charlene focuses on areas of mediation where she can offer the most value:
Estate disputes | Board and executive conflict | Workplace conflict | Wrongful dismissal | Local Government | Commercial Litigation | Shareholder disputes | Property disputes | Administrative law
Employment Law & Investigations
Advice for employers & workplace investigations
We spend most of our day at work, with the people we work with. Issues are bound to come up. Knowing our clients means we can offer timely and strategic advice on workplace matters. We encourage early intervention in order to address issues before they become problems. When problems cannot be avoided, we help manage your way through them. We work with both employers and employees in both public and private organizations. We cover all areas of employment law but here is a sampling of the work we do:
Workplace investigations | Mediation of workplace matters | Drafting employment agreements and policies | Hiring and termination | Advice and negotiation of settlement agreements | Diversity & Inclusion | Wrongful and constructive dismissal | Human Rights, accommodation and disability management | Employment advice to companies with respect to mergers and acquisitions
“Without hesitation we recommend clients contact Charlene Cleary at Westshore Law. Her level of knowledge, professionalism and level of support are exceptional. Clients have told us how amazing she is to work with and how she quickly grasped what their needs were and helped them to navigate through potentially difficult situations.”
— Sandra Reder, President, Vertical Bridge HR Consulting
Integrity, Governance & Administrative Law
balanced advice & solutions
We provide governance advice and integrity commissioner services to organizations and local governments regarding obligations pursuant to codes of conduct and associated bylaws. We assist with review of complaints, informal resolution and when necessary, investigation and adjudication. We also advise on improvements to policies based on community changes and law reform.
We also provide guidance in the following areas:
Advice on complaints and investigations for administrative authorities | Professional misconduct allegations | Advocacy before administrative tribunals | Investigations | Appeals of administrative decisions
Estate Law
Probate, estate disputes, advice to executors
We have a deep and personal understanding of the emotions and stress that arise following the death of a loved one. We carefully guide our clients through the complicated and overwhelming details of estate work.
We offer the following services:
Obtaining a grant of probate | Advising executors on their duties and obligations | Estate administration | Advice to beneficiaries | Passing of Accounts | Variation of a Will | Concerns about undue influence or the validity of a Will | Marriage and cohabitation agreements as part of an estate plan | Mediation of estate disputes
“When it came to my father’s estate I felt that it was too much for me to do on my own so I hired Charlene to do it for me. Her and her staff were amazing to work with and friendly, communicative and timely. I would definitely recommend Westshore Law to anyone.”
— T. B. W.
Business Law
Transactions, strategic advice, contracts and disputes
Owning and operating our own business gives us a unique perspective in serving our business clients. We work mostly with small and medium-sized businesses to help them accomplish their goals and in some cases, resolve issues.
We offer business guidance in the following areas:
Contracts and commercial leases | Incorporations, reorganizations and freezes | Advice of proprietorships | Corporate transactions for small businesses | Intersection of family law and business issues | Employment | Succession planning | Shareholders Agreements | Acting as registered and records office | Mediation