People Services
OUC’s people services team provides legal advice to the University’s administration on issues relating to students, clinical learners, faculty, clinical faculty, librarians, and staff.
About Us
OUC’s people services team is comprised of lawyers and support staff with legal expertise in a broad range of areas including administrative law and tribunals, employment law, human rights law, health law, investigations, labour law, and litigation.
While our day-to-day work generally involves legal support on people-related legal matters, we view ourselves as your strategic partner and are here to be your trusted advisor. When in doubt, give us a call—come early and come often!
- We act as institutional advocates in “people related” matters;
- We provide general advice on whether an activity complies with applicable laws, regulations, and University policies;
- We use our institutional knowledge to help our stakeholders connect with other internal resources or consultation pathways;
- We act as a sounding board for stakeholders and help structure arrangements to minimize legal risks and maximize benefits.
What We Do
OUC’s people services team provides legal advice on a range of issues, including:
Representing the University’s interests in legal processes related to academic integrity violations, academic appeals, and student discipline matters;
Representing the University’s interests in legal processes related to non-academic student misconduct matters;
Representing the University’s interests in matters related to faculty tenure and promotion appeals and academic appointments;
Supporting the University’s human resources and labour relations teams in matters involving the employment lifecycle;
Advising on human rights matters involving accommodations, allegations of harassment and discrimination, and providing legal support in responding to applications to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario;
Assisting and advising on the development and application of University policies to ensure legal compliance;
Providing legal support on litigation matters brought against or by the University;
Identifying potential areas of legal risk and recommending approaches to manage risk in view of University goals and risk tolerance;
Identifying and engaging with external counsel when their expert legal support is required.
