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Daniel Lublin

Law School

University of Western Ontario

Admitted to Bar

2005

Years of Experience

20+

Proficiency In

Termination, Dismissal, Severance & Class Action Lawsuits

 

Media Commentator & Author – See Daniel Lublin’s Report on Business Column in the Globe and Mail

One of Canada’s Most Trusted Employment Lawyers

Fighting for What’s Fair

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For over twenty years, I’ve been the lawyer people call when their career is on the line. A dismissal that wasn’t handled fairly. A severance offer that falls short. A workplace investigation or allegation that threatens a hard-earned reputation. Clients come to me because they need someone with the experience, judgment and resolve to be taken seriously by the other side.

This is a responsibility I don’t take lightly, because an employment dispute is rarely just about money. It can threaten a career someone spent decades building, a professional reputation earned over a lifetime and a family’s financial security.

My job is to level the playing field. Sometimes that means finding a swift, discreet resolution. Sometimes it means pushing much harder. I’ve spent my career building a reputation as a lawyer who is prepared to go the distance when a case demands it and the other side knows it.

That matters. Leverage isn’t something you claim in a letter. It’s something you earn through experience, preparation and a demonstrated willingness to follow through. When the other side knows I’ve carefully assessed a case and am prepared to test it in court, it changes the conversation. Claims are harder to dismiss, meaningful negotiations tend to happen sooner, and fair resolutions become more achievable.

My track record includes more than 45 reported decisions at multiple levels of court, including cases that have helped shape employment law in Canada. As lead appeal counsel in Wood v. Fred Deeley Imports Ltd., I helped establish an important standard for interpreting employment contracts in Ontario; the decision has since been cited in more than 140 rulings. In Flegg v. Sigma Lithium Corporation, my client was awarded approximately $2.5 million following his dismissal, including $250,000 in aggravated and punitive damages. In How v. PRGX Canada Corp., the award was nearly $1.7 million, which was more than $1.2 million above the employer’s original offer. And in Markoulakis v. SNC-Lavalin Inc., my 65-year-old client received 27 months’ notice.

The value of that courtroom experience is that many of my clients never need to see one. Knowing I’m prepared to take a case all the way can create the leverage to resolve it sooner, more quietly and on better terms.

I also take on cases where the stakes extend far beyond one person. My work extends to major national employment class actions involving systemic workplace compensation issues. I am counsel in several certified class proceedings against major Canadian financial institutions, including cases alleging unpaid vacation and holiday pay, involving thousands of employees and seeking to address systemic issues of workplace compensation and fairness.

And I don’t define an important case by someone’s job title. I represent senior executives, professionals and employees at different stages of their careers. What matters isn’t how senior you are, it’s what’s at stake for you.

In my mission to fight for what’s fair, I’ve also helped shape the national conversation on workplace rights. For the past fourteen years I’ve written the workplace law column for The Globe and Mail, following 10 years as a national legal columnist for Metro News. I’ve authored nearly a thousand articles on employment law, and I am a frequent voice in national and local media.

Through this work, I’ve gained a broader understanding of the concerns facing employees, employers and workplace policymakers across Canada and this perspective allows me to make a complicated process feel less overwhelming, providing clarity and a sense of control when things can feel uncertain.

I’ve been recognized as a leading Canadian employment lawyer by Chambers, Best Lawyers and Lexpert for more than a decade. In 2009, I co-founded Whitten & Lublin, Employment & Labour Lawyers, now consistently recognized among Canada’s leading employment law firms.

Many of my clients come to me through other lawyers, executives and HR professionals, including people who have sat across the table from me. They know how I work: I prepare thoroughly, I stay personally invested, and when I believe a case is worth fighting, I don’t back down.

Whether you’re a senior executive managing a sensitive exit, a professional facing wrongful dismissal, or earlier in your career and facing unfair treatment at work, I’ll help you understand where you stand, build leverage, and pursue the best possible outcome legally, financially and reputationally. I’ll tell you what’s worth fighting for. And when action is necessary, I’ll be there to follow through.

As a courtroom lawyer, Daniel handles various workplace-related legal disputes and human rights matters. Daniel’s full commitment to getting the successful results his clients deserve is evidenced by the more than 40 reported judgments that Daniel has achieved for them in court, such as:

  • Flegg v. Sigma Lithium Corporation, 2026 ONSC 2596 – successful trial award of approximately $2.5 Million dollars to dismissed senior executive who was not allowed to exercise his vested shareholdings. The decision includes an award of $250,000 of aggravated and punitive damages to the Defendant employer’s conduct, which is one of the largest Canadian damage awards of this nature.
  • How v. PRGX Canada Corp., 2023 ONSC 6374 – victorious in a case in which a senior executive and long-term employee was wrongfully dismissed after nearly 30 years and awarded nearly $1.7 million in damages. Successfully obtained an increase of over $1.2 million dollars for the client from the company’s original offer.

  • Chiang v. The Toronto Dominion Bank, 2026 ONSC 2013 (CanLII) – successful certification of national unpaid wage Class Action on behalf of commissioned employees.

  • Cunningham v. RBC Dominion Securities Limited, 2023 ONSC 4316 – successful certification of national Class Action involving claims for unpaid vacation and holiday pay with damages alleged up to $800 million.

  • Kraft v. Firepower Financial Corp, 2021 ONSC 4962 – prevailed in a case against a financial firm that tried to deny payment of the largest ever commission earned by an ex-banker and also obtained a 10-month severance package for an employee with 5 years’ service, including additional payments due to the impact of Covid-19.
  • Yee v. Hudson’s Bay Company 2021 ONSC 387 – successfully argued the first known Canadian case to address the impact of COVID-19 on severance awards and secured a 16-month severance package and bonus to a terminated executive of HBC, following a trial.
  • Lau v. CGI , 2018 HRTO 643 – successful application to join together a group human rights proceeding alleging systemic and group discrimination, at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.
  • Wood v. Fred Deeley Imports, 2017 ONCA 158 – prevailed in Ontario’s leading and most referenced case on employment contracts, decided by the Court of Appeal.
  • Downtown Kids Academy Inc. v. Zakrzewski 2017 ONSC 5045 – successful defence of an injunction application alleging a violation of a non-solicitation clause, brought against a new business owner by her former employer.
  • Ozorio v. Canadian Hearing Society , (2016) ONSC 5440 – successfully doubled the severance package offered to a 30 year senior manager, to 24 months, with the court’s recognition that older and long-term employees should receive significant severance awards to compensate for their age and long service.
  • Tetra Consulting versus Continental Bank of Canada, (2015) ONSC 4610 -successfully obtained a large wrongful dismissal judgment on behalf of a senior bank executive; and see Tetra Consulting v Continental Bank et al., 2015 ONSC 6546: where the defendant was ordered to pay extraordinary legal costs to Mr. Lublin’s client due to its defence strategy.
  • Buaron v Acuity Ads Inc., 2015 ONSC 5774 – successfully convinced a court to strike down an employment contract that attempted to limit Mr. Lublin’s client to only minimum severance and obtained damages for wrongful dismissal due to the termination.
  • Markoulakis v SNC-Lavalin Inc., 2015 ONSC 1081 – secured one of the highest ever wrongful dismissal judgments in Canadian history, against SNC Lavalin, obtaining a 27-month severance award following the termination of a senior civil engineer after 41 years’ service.
  • K.P. v Oracle Canada ULC – successful wrongful dismissal lawsuit on behalf of senior sales executive, against Oracle Canada.
  • Ledford v. Friendly Times , 2014 HRTO 70 – successful defence of human rights lawsuit alleging age discrimination.
  • Morgan v. Herman Miller Canada Inc., 2013 HRTO 650 – prevailed in a two-week human rights trial concerning discrimination on the basis of race and reprisal, resulting in a significant award of damages for a terminated employee.
  • Napolitano v. Friendly Times Child Care Centre , 2012 HRTO 603 – one of the few cases dismissing a human rights application from an ex-employee on a summary hearing.
  • Corporate Investigative Services v. Steele et al. 2012 ONSC 3286 (ON S.C.) – successful defence of a summary judgement motion in a large corporate action involving two competing security companies.
  • Hussain v. Suzuki Canada Ltd. , 2011 Carswell Ont 12251 (ON S.C.) – one of the highest ever severance awards in Canada (a 26-month severance package) given to Suzuki Canada’s longest-serving employee.
  • Nasager v. Northern Reflections Ltd. , 2011 ONSC 5872 – which is an appeal court case, where Mr. Lublin successfully upheld a judge’s decision that his client should be awarded a 6-month severance package where the employer gave him only 5 weeks.
  • Harvey v. Shoeless Joe’s, 2011 ONSC 3242 (ON S.C.) – successful defence of a wrongful dismissal claim from a former executive.
  • Camaganacan v. St. Joseph’s Printing Ltd. , 2010 ONSC 5184 (ON S.C) – prevailed in wrongful dismissal case, securing a 16-month severance package for a client who was offered only 6 months by his employer.
  • Cardenas v. Kohler Canada Co. , 2009 CanLII 17976 (ON S.C.) – one of the largest group wrongful dismissal judgements in Canadian history, where Mr. Lublin successfully obtained nearly $1 million in damages for five terminated employees.
  • Adjemian v. Brook Crompton North America , 2008 CanLII 27469 (ON S.C.) a game changing case at the Ontario Court of Appeal confirming that wrongful dismissal cases can and should be heard in an expedited fashion.
  • Hayes v. Peer 1 Network Inc., 2007 CanLII 65614 (ON S.C.D.C.) – wherein Mr. Lublin successfully overturned a lower court’s decision to move his client’s case to British Columbia, instead of Ontario where the client resided.

Daniel Lublin’s highly valued skills and results are continuously recognized by peers, industry and media alike.

  • Once again, Daniel Lublin has been named in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers CanadaTM for Labour and Employment law. Daniel has been the recipient of this honour since 2022. Recognition is based on consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues.
  • Whitten & Lublin has been named in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms TM Canada as a Tier 1 Canadian firm and a Tier 1 Toronto firm in Labour and Employment law.
  • Founding partner of Whitten & Lublin Employment and Labour Lawyers; nationally recognized as one of Canada’s Best Law Firms in 2026 by Globe and Mail (and one of the only workplace law firms to receive this distinction). Whitten & Lublin is honoured to receive this award yearly since 2021.
  • Repeatedly recognized by the Canadian Lexpert Legal Directory as a “Leading Practitioner” of Employment Law.  Lexpert is the most trusted and authoritative listing of leading lawyers in Canada and selection is determined by a vote conducted among peers.
  • Recognized since 2022 by Chamber’s Guide for Canada’s Leading Lawyers in Employment Law 2027
  • Ranked as one of “Canada’s Top Employment Lawyers” by Carswell in every year from 2007 to 2014.
  • The Globe & Mail’s workplace law columnist both in print and online, since 2012.
  • Awarded the 2011 “Precedent Setter Award” recognizing him as one of the best of the new generation of lawyers in Ontario.
  • Frequent appearances on national television and radio, as a commentator for workplace legal issues.
  • Published over 700 national newspaper articles since 2005.
  • National Columnist for Metro newspapers from 2006 to 2013.
  • Author of Canada’s first legal text on Independent Contractors, published by Carswell in 2013.
  • Named the “Lawyer of the Week” by The Lawyers Weekly in December, 2008.
  • Past Chair of the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Employment law program for paralegals.

Daniel regularly appears on media and television as an expert for employment law matters and he has published over 700 national newspaper columns since 2005, including:

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Our impact

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Daniel Lublin is one of the best lawyers I have ever worked with and is a master at effective, succinct, forthright communication and knowledgeable, intelligent solutions. He is results driven and tenacious. Daniel Lublin is on his A-game on every issue, in every discussion or meeting, and precisely explains and documents all issues and solutions with 100% clarity, leaving no room for error or misinterpretation. He is extraordinarily wise (well beyond his years) and his positive, straightforward energy is inspiring. Thank you, Daniel Lublin and Nida Arifullah, for your outstanding and exemplary service. Whitten Lublin is the “go-to” law firm for any employment matters.

Christine Bauer

Daniel Lublin and his entire team are legal ROCKSTARS! From the initial meeting to the final negotiations, Daniel and his team were knowledgeable, professional, and timely. They provided solid legal advice and ground-breaking legal precedent resulting in a dramatic increase (149%) in my termination package. I spoke with several lawyers before hiring Daniel Lublin, but two things stood out after my initial meeting with Daniel. He was extremely transparent (I knew what I was being charged from the initial meeting onward) and he identified a recent legal ruling that was game-changing for my case. Daniel is worth every penny. I would highly recommend Daniel and his entire team. The results speak for themselves. Thank you Daniel and the entire team at Whitten Lublin.

Julie Hamilton

I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to Daniel Lublin, he is extremely smart, confident and delivered strong results. I contacted him regarding an employment matter and I felt very fortunate to have him represent me. He resolved my case very quickly and met all my expectations and beyond. Daniel Lublin and his team are first class and I would strongly recommend them to anyone I know.

David T

I was introduced to Daniel Lublin in the summer, after unexpectedly being removed from my senior executive position and suddenly being in need of legal guidance. I have had the privilege of working with Daniel and his team for the past few months, and I cannot speak highly enough. From the beginning, he was exceptionally responsive and made the process simple and smooth. I live in Vancouver, and though Daniel is in Toronto, we were easily able to make the time zones work. His experience and expertise were apparent immediately, he explained what being compensated fairly should look like, and he outlined a strategy that focused on the highest priority outcomes. He did his homework, knew all of the details of my case, shared how he would approach, and asked for feedback along the way. What I appreciated most was that he was both sympathetic and practical at the same time, and collaborative in approach. He has the ability to make you feel comfortable almost immediately. He is transparent with fees and his fee structure ensures that both parties win. I will definitely be recommending Daniel Lublin to anyone requiring employment legal advice. We have settled for a substantially better outcome than we started with, and I owe that to him. Daniel — thank you.

Jennifer Muench

My case was handled by Daniel Lublin. From the start he was patient, clear and concise about what my rights were and what course of action was going to be taken. Everything unfolded virtually exactly the way he told me it would. I didn't have to worry about a thing throughout the whole process, which was a load off my mind. From the intake to the final correspondence the firm was extremely professional and runs like a well-oiled machine. I highly recommend. Special thanks to the lovely Nida Arifullah, Mr. Lublin's Law Clerk, who was very helpful in requesting and sending pertinent information and documents.

Anthony Monaco

I found Whitten & Lublin at the right time when the unexpected happened in my life. I am very grateful for Mr. Lublin’s compassion, encouragement, sharp instinct, and straight talk about my case. I needed and appreciated his efficiency and excellence. Thank you so much for everything!

Patricia K

If you want to know about the real Daniel Lublin then read this post. There is more to Daniel than his legal work that potential clients should know about. For the past year, Daniel has acted as a sponsor to my daughter Maria who is pursuing a competitive career in sports. He has assisted her financially and professionally. Daniel’s confidence, unwavering determination and mentoring has given her hope to achieve the next stages in her career. During this time, my family and I have observed Daniel’s humanity through his kindness and generosity. He has and continues to impact us in a positive way. This shows that Daniel has an incredible ability to understand and help others in all aspects of their life and that most importantly HE GENUINELY CARES ABOUT PEOPLE AND IS INVESTED IN WHAT TRULY MATTERS TO THEM. While I have not directly worked with Daniel Lublin as a client in his legal practice, my family and I can confidently share that Daniel has a huge heart, and is a true champion for people so clients would be privileged to have him in their corner.

By Oksana ROM

In advance of International Women's Day, I'd like to honour Daniel Lublin, partner at Whitten & Lublin Employment Lawyers - a true warrior for women's rights. The ever increasing pink-washing of IWD has sickened me. Sadly and most recently in my 20+ year career I've witnessed organizations promote performative activism and exclusionary practices over meaningful change like pay transparency and pay equity. IWD is riddled with tokenism, empty branding and absent policy change despite the presence of Canadian pay equity laws (provincial and federal) and Canadian pay equity as a basic human right. So I address this post to all women on #IWD who are in an inequitable pay scenario, to reach out to Daniel Lublin at Whitten and Lublin Employment Lawyers.

Liz Neziol

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