About Us

Howard Employment Law represents the natural evolution of Geoffrey Howard’s more than 30 years of employment law practice. He started out in employment law as a junior lawyer in Toronto representing mainly employees, pursuing their wrongful dismissal claims and learning the ropes in civil litigation. On returning to his native Vancouver in 1994, Geoff knew he wanted to focus on employment law.

While working at the growing Vancouver office of international law firm Gowlings as an associate and then a partner for over 18 years, he gained broader business and commercial litigation experience, which he put to use when advising his growing employer client base. After stints at leading local employment and business boutique firms, he was ready to fulfill a longstanding ambition of starting his own firm in September 2020.

Geoff was delighted his legal assistant Nikki Morrow jumped at the opportunity to “join him in HEL”, where she is helping to set up firm systems to better serve our clients but has also taken on office administration and accounting responsibilities as Office Coordinator. His wife Marie-Claire oversaw the firm setup and manages the finances and operations of HEL. The HEL team was thrilled when Sebastian Chern, an experienced employment law associate looking to relocate from Chilliwack to Vancouver, agreed to join the HEL team on opening day.

OUR VALUES

At HEL, our core values are simple:

• Dedication to client service, including regular communications, prompt responses to client emails and calls, and always keeping cost in mind when advising clients on their next step.
• Delivering high quality work product within a practical framework that is grounded in our clients’ business needs.
• A relaxed but professional style.
• We believe every employer, from the small local firm to the multi-national, and every level of employee is entitled to the same high level of service.
• We like to help non-profits. Geoff has been advising a long list of non-profits for many years. HEL extends special fee arrangements to non-profits.
• Nous parlons francais! Geoff is French, speaks and writes fluent French and enjoys the opportunity to advise francophone clients, as well as assisting English-speaking clients with issues in Quebec.