Josée Gervais
Josée Gervais is a partner in Gowling WLG's Montréal office, where she heads the Labour, Employment & Equalities Group. She was an articling student at the firm before being called to the Bar in November 2009.
Josée advises and represents several national and international employers on all aspects of employment law, including, but not limited to, the preparation and review of individual employment contracts (including restrictive and termination covenants), the creation and implementation of employment policies and procedures (hours of work, vacation, statutory leaves and holidays, performance and disciplinary management, drug and alcohol testing, criminal background checks, employment termination).
She also counsels and acts for employers in the areas of occupational health and safety, pay equity, human rights, French language in the workplace and labour relations.
In her practice, Josée also represents provincially and federally regulated employers before various civil and administrative courts, such as the Tribunal administratif du travail, the Canada Industrial Relations Board and grievance adjudicators.
She frequently acts as spokesperson for public and private sector employers in collective bargaining, and helps them navigate labour disputes.
Josée has also developed knowledge in the application of provincial privacy legislation and regulation pertaining to employment matters, counselling employers on their duties regarding privacy protection, background checks, employee monitoring and surveillance, consents and acknowledgments for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, and transfer of data to third parties.
Prior to entering law school, Josée studied and worked in the field of journalism. During law school, she won several awards in recognition of her academic excellence.
She practises in English and French.