Our legal services for employment contracts include drafting, review, and negotiations of contracts on behalf of both employees and employers in Alberta. Contact us today to see how we can help review, draft, evaluate or negotiate your employment contract.
Employment Contract Services
Employment Contract Drafting
Employment contracts are also called employment agreements. Employment contracts or agreements can be written, verbal or a little of both.
At Bow River Law, we are skilled and experienced at drafting employment contracts for Alberta employers. Well-drafted employment contracts can serve many functions in an employment relationship, and we can help an employer protect its interests and liabilities to its employees. In many cases, poorly drafted employment contracts not only do not protect an employer, but can actually create substantial liabilities for the employer.
Let us help you get it right.
Employment Contract Review
We often hear people tell us years after signing an employment agreement that they wish they had not done so, but often it is too late at that point.
If you are a new employee being asked to sign an employment agreement for the first time, or an existing employee being asked to sign a new employment agreement, it is a good idea to get legal advice before you sign.
Sometimes there is nothing of concern in a given employment agreement, but often there is. There are many things employers can slip into employment agreements which seem harmless, but which can have a major impact on your rights, both during the employment relationship and when it ends.
If you are an existing employee, you should be especially cautious if your employer is pushing to have you sign an agreement on a short timeline and/or they do not seem to want you to get legal advice. Often if something seems fishy, it is fishy.
If you have already signed an employment agreement and you think it might limit your rights, we still suggest you come in and have it reviewed, because there is often still something we can do to help protect your rights.
Employment Contract Negotiation
The lawyers at Bow River Law are skilled and experienced at helping Alberta employees negotiate their employment contracts. This process typically involves a review of the contract the employer has proposed, identifying clauses that are problematic or missing, making proposed changes, and either helping the employee negotiate with the employer, or in some cases negotiating directly with the employer on the employee’s behalf.
Negotiating employment contract changes is not uncommon for employees, and our lawyers have strategies to reduce the risk that the negotiation will cause damage to the employment relationship. Even if you are an employee that wants to handle the direct negotiation of your employment contract yourself, getting legal advice from our employment lawyers will help you understand the important clauses and how they could be improved to manage your concerns.
Cautionary Notes
- A well-drafted employment contract or agreement can be of enormous benefit to an Alberta employer.
- A poorly drafted employment contract can be a liability to an Alberta employer and an opportunity for an angry or dismissed employee.
- The requirements for what should be in an Alberta employment contract are always changing, so if a contract was drafted 20 years ago it might not protect an employer today.
- If you are employed in Calgary or elsewhere in Alberta and have an employment agreement, your actual rights may be different than what they seem to be. It is important that you get legal advice before you sign anything, instead of making assumptions about what the documents mean.
Employment Contracts FAQ
What should I do if my employer wants me to sign an employment contract?
You should get legal advice before signing anything, especially an employment contract. Employment contracts can have a major impact on your rights, and the impact is not always obvious when you read through them.
My employer has just given me an NDA agreement that contains some clauses I don’t agree with. What should I do?
You should get legal advice before signing anything, especially any new agreement that is separate from your employment contract. Non-competition, non-solicitation, and NDA agreements can have a major impact on your rights, and an employment lawyer can help you understand those impacts and how to push back if the agreement is unfair.
What is an independent contractor?
An independent contractor is a worker for a company, but not an employee of that company. Often, companies call workers “independent contractors” when those workers are actually employees and entitled to employee rights like severance.
How can I tell if I am an employee or a contractor?
Generally, if you work for only one company full-time, there is a strong chance that you are legally considered an employee, even if your written contract says you are a contractor.
Can I suspend an employee without pay?
Employers generally cannot suspend an employee without pay, but there are some exceptions. Employers can usually suspend with pay for short periods for administrative reasons such as workplace investigations into misconduct.
Employment Contracts: Drafting / Review / Negotiation Legal Blog Articles
ACJ: “A warning without an opportunity to improve is effectively not a warning at all”
In Hiebert v Zimco Instrumentation, 2025 ABCJ 133, an Alberta Court determined just cause termination, failure to mitigate, personal liability, all in favor of employee
Withdrawing Notice of Resignation Must Be Timely
In Corsini v Environmental 360 Solutions Ltd., 2025 ABCJ 132 (Higa), a dismissal claim was unsuccessful because the plaintiff had not withdrawn her resignation.
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