Our Story
Joel Fairbrother and Sarah Coderre met in 2006 during an undergraduate course on Aristotle at the University of Alberta. Their paths later crossed again in 2011 when they articled together at Bennett Jones LLP in Calgary, and they developed a good relationship as colleagues and friends. After they were called to the Alberta bar in August 2012, Sarah continued to work at Bennett Jones LLP and began to develop a general litigation practice, while Joel joined Field LLP to focus on labour and employment law. In 2013, Sarah moved to Edmonton to practice insurance defense litigation at a mid-sized firm, Joel continued to develop his employment law specialization at Field LLP, and they stayed in touch over the years.
In 2015, Sarah joined a labour and employment law boutique in Edmonton, and early in 2016 she convinced Joel to join the firm’s office in Calgary. In 2017, Sarah moved back to Calgary and joined Joel at the Calgary law office. Over the next three years, they developed strong, independent employment and labour law practices while supporting one another. Joel and Sarah obtained excellent results for their clients and continued to build strong reputations in the legal community. After practicing together for almost four years, Joel and Sarah decided to start Bow River Law LLP in 2021.
