P.A. Neena Gupta

Neena Gupta is a partner in Gowling WLG’s Employment, Labour & Equalities Group. 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), the Pay Equity Act, 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 the Faculties of Law at both the University of Toronto and Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario as an adjunct professor. She has served as a guest lecturer with the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). She is co-chair of the Law Society of Ontario’s prestigious annual Employment Law Summit.

She is currently Chair of the United Way of Waterloo Region Communities and has held directorship positions with a wide variety of not-for-profits, including the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers, the Literary Review of Canada, BioTalent Canada, the Advocates' Society and TiE Toronto, which is part of an international network supporting entrepreneurship. Neena served for five years as a governor of the Law Commission of Ontario, which focuses solely on law reform, and served for over a decade on the Rules Committee of the Ontario Superior Court.

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 for female practitioners. She is routinely recognized for her excellence in the areas of Employment and Labour law and Human Rights Law by Lexpert® and Best Lawyers®.