P.A. Neena Gupta Partner


Speaks:  English

Year of Call: 1989 - Ontario

Year of Call: 1988 - Saskatchewan

Primary phone: +1 519-575-7501

Secondary phone: +1 416-862-5700

Fax: +1 519-571-5001

Email: neena.gupta@gowlingwlg.com

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Primary office:  Waterloo Region

Secondary office:  Toronto



P.A. Neena Gupta

Neena Gupta is a partner in Gowling WLG's Waterloo Region and Toronto offices. Her practice focuses on a broad range of employment and human rights matters. She is known for her practical, cost-effective and focused approach to employment law and litigation. Neena has advised a broad range of employers, from start-ups to world-renowned multinationals, on all aspects of employment law, including employment offers and contracts, policies, compensation plans, cross-border employment and regulatory compliance in Canada.

Neena regularly advises employers on both compliance and litigation involving the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Canada Labour Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Employment Standards Act, 2001 (Ontario).

A popular and engaging speaker, Neena has been invited to present at the International Bar Association (IBA), Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), the Law Society of Ontario (LSO), the Advocates' Society, the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) and the International Paralegal Management Association (IPMA). She developed the employment law course at Seneca College and taught at both the University of Toronto and Queen's Universities as an adjunct professor at their respective Faculties of Law on human rights.

Neena served for five years as a governor of the Law Commission of Ontario, which focuses solely on law reform, and is currently on the Rules Committee of the Ontario Superior Court. She is currently on the Board of the United Way of Waterloo Region Communities, the Literary Review of Canada and BioTalent Canada, a not-for-profit focused on talent issues in the bioscience industry. She was previously a director of the Advocates' Society and TiE Toronto, which is part of an international network supporting entrepreneurship.

In 2002, Neena was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee medal in recognition of her service to the legal profession and the community at large. She received a Lexpert Zenith Award in 2017 in recognition of her demonstrated excellence and thought leadership in the legal profession. In 2018, she received the inaugural FEMPOWR award from the Waterloo Region Law Association, as an exemplar of mentorship of female practitioners.

 

 

Career & Recognition

Filter timeline:

Memberships

  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Human Resources Professionals Association
  • Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce
  • Ontario Bar Association
  • South Asian Bar Association
  • The Advocates' Society

Neena published a plain language guide on Sexual Harassment: A guide to conducting investigations (2004: Butterworths - LexisNexis) and served as the Legal Review for Human Resources PolicyPro (Ontario edition).

Neena's media interviews include:

Representative Work

  • Re-wrote offer letters, policies and provided Canadian compliance training to several large multinational entities with multiple locations in Canada
  • Defended a multinational financial institution on complex issues of systemic discrimination
  • Defended a large national retailer with respect to numerous cases involving wrongful dismissal or constructive dismissal
  • Defended a multinational manufacturer and distributor on allegations of systemic discrimination and racism
  • Assisted several private equity and venture capital firms on employment law issue arising from various investments and/or divestitures
  • Advised numerous employers with respect to the proper conduct of investigations into allegations of harassment, discrimination and workplace violence
  • On the board of a publicly-traded junior mining company and a private nutraceutical company