Appiah Law is a premier firm that specializes in employment and labour law. At Appiah Law, you will receive unparalleled legal advice and representation in matters affecting your employment or your business' human resources, whether you are a small or enterprise-scale employer, a C-level executive, or a junior employee. Explore our website and contact us today.
We provide expert strategic counsel in all areas relating to employment and labour law, including recruitment and hiring; employee relations; dismissals for cause or without cause; human rights; investigations; occupational health and safety; employment standards; collective agreement compliance and union matters.
We protect your interests by preparing or critically evaluating severance packages; employment agreements; compensation terms; non-competition agreements; non-solicitation agreements; termination clauses; workplace policies; employee handbooks and manuals; and collective agreements.
We represent you in work-related negotiations. We also advocate on your behalf at all levels of our courts; the provincial and federal human rights tribunals and labour relations boards; and at the Ministry of Labour, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal.
Appiah Law supports employees at all stages of their employment relationship, from recruitment to separation. We also offer a compassionate ear and an experienced hand to manage challenging or even unhealthy workplaces. When it's necessary for our clients to take assertive action to enforce their rights, we represent them in negotiations or litigation.
Appiah Law provides strategic advice and advocacy to employers of all sizes who require assistance to support, motivate and manage their most important resource - their employees. We take the time to understand our clients' needs and goals, and strategize to minimize liability, ensure long-term success, and maintain a viable and cohesive team of staff.
Rich Appiah is principal of Appiah Law | Employment + Labour Counsel. He provides expert strategic counsel and legal representation in the area of human resources law to small and enterprise-scale businesses, as well as to managers and senior executives.
Rich draws on his experiences to provide exceptional, cost-effective, and results-oriented service to every client. Called to the Bar of Ontario in 2006, he has appeared as counsel before the Ontario and Superior Courts of Justice and the Ontario Labour Relations Board. He has also represented clients in proceedings before boards of arbitration, the provincial and federal Human Rights Tribunals, the Ontario Ministry of Labour (Employment Standards Branch), and the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.
Rich has published extensively in the area of employment law and is a frequent speaker at conferences for human resources and legal professionals. In 2016, Rich was recognized as a "Lawyer to Watch" by Lexpert Magazine, and in 2017 he was elected to the executive of the Ontario Bar Association's Employment and Labour Section.
In pursuit of a lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer, Rich established an early record of academic success and community involvement. He studied at the University of Guelph as a President’s Scholar and completed his Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in 2002 with the prize in Political Science and the Brian D. Sullivan Award for student leadership. He then attended Osgoode Hall Law School, where he was a division leader of the school's legal clinic and president of the school's student union. He graduated from Osgoode with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 2005. Rich founded Appiah Law after working for over 10 years as an associate and partner of a prominent boutique firm repeatedly recognized as one of the best in Canada.
Rich loves practicing law - but when he's taking a break, you'll find him playing the piano, travelling, catching up on Star Trek: Discovery and Game of Thrones, and keeping fit (or at least trying to).
Universal Workers Union, Labourers’ International Union of North America, Local 183 v Antonio Valente & Sons Limited (2014, Ontario Labour Relations Board): On behalf of an employer, successfully defended against an application in which a union argued that bargaining rights flowed from one employer to another, after a unionized business closed and its supposed "key man" joined a non-unionized business as an employee.
Simpson v. Grosnor (2014, Ontario Superior Court of Justice): On behalf of an employee, successfully advanced a summary judgment motion for wrongful dismissal, recovering the majority of the employee's legal costs from her employer.
Joseph v. CIBC (2013, adjudication under the Canada Labour Code): Successfully argued that an employer had improperly dismissed a long service employee for just cause, even though the employee had received numerous warnings of misconduct, because the employer had failed to investigate the employee's complaints of workplace harassment.
Nader Fawzy v. Paris Jewellers Ltd. (2012, Ontario Human Rights Tribunal): On behalf of an employer, successfully opposed a motion for the consolidation of three human rights applications and the production of documents.
Goodman v. J. Stollar Construction Limited (2011, Ontario Superior Court of Justice): On behalf of an employer, successfully advanced a motion for the production of documents from an employee who had been dismissed because he had been engaging in a side business while working for his employer. The documents were essential to the employer's defence of the employee's wrongful dismissal case.
Dayforce Inc. v. Eddu (2011, Ontario Superior Court of Justice): This matter concerned a motion brought by an employer against an employee who resigned to work for a competitor. The employer obtained an Anton Piller Order (i.e. a search warrant) against the employee, without his knowledge, to search his home and seize his property. The employer then sought $271,000 in costs against him as well as other costs related to a motion to enforce alleged non-competition and non-solicitation obligations. On behalf of the employee, Rich successfully argued that the Court had no jurisdiction to award costs for the Anton Piller Order, and convinced the court to defer a decision on other costs until a trial was held. After losing this motion, the employer dropped its case.
Yip-Young v. L-3 Communications Electronic Systems Inc. (2011, Ontario Superior Court of Justice): On behalf of a long-service employee, successfully advanced a summary judgment motion only seven (7) months following the employee's dismissal. This resulted in an award of pay in lieu of twenty (20) months’ notice of termination at common law.
Slepenkova v. Ivanov (2009, Court of Appeal for Ontario): On behalf of two employees, successfully argued before the Ontario Court of Appeal that a fixed-term contract should be set aside, and that a trial decision awarding damages for an employer's breach of its duty of good faith and fair dealing ought to be upheld.
Ethical Issues in Employment Law, Law Society of Upper Canada, April 5, 2017
Critical Strategies for Labour and Employment Lawyers – Successfully Advocating before the Human Rights Tribunal, Labour Board and Labour Arbitrators, Ontario Bar Association, September 16, 2016
Privacy in Employment Law: An Update for HR Professionals, Human Resources Professionals Association 2014 HR Law Conference, October 22, 2014
Privacy in Employment Law, Six Minute Employment Lawyer 2014, The Law Society of Upper Canada, June 13, 2014
Common Pitfalls in Drafting Employment Agreements, with Mary Porjes, 1st and 2nd Employment Contracts Workshop, Federated Press, 2013 and 2014
Making Strategic Use of Summary Judgment Motions, with Chris Foulon, 10th Annual Employment Law Summit, Toronto, 2009
Bill 168: A Step Forward in Addressing Workplace Violence and Harassment, Human Resources Professionals Association 2009 HR Law Conference, October 28, 2009
Effectively Conducting the Employment Termination Meeting: Mitigating Organizational Liability While Preserving Individual Dignity, with Carita Pereira, The Canadian Institute’s Workforce Restructuring Conference, June 9 – 10, 2009
Three businesses add up to 1 employer, Canadian HR Reporter – The National Journal of Human Resource Management, January 15, 2016
Transfer of employment to related company doesn’t reduce service, Canadian Employment Law Today, November 25, 2015
One strike and you’re out! When a single act of misconduct can be just cause for dismissal, with Andrea Stoddart, Canadian Employment Law Today, August 19, 2015
Ontario Court Awards 26 Months’ Pay to Dependent Contractors, with Andrew Carricato, HR Professional Magazine, July/August 2015
Bungled Investigation Costs Employer Over $800,000, with Andrew Carricato, Mercer/CCH Guide for Employers, August 2014
Supreme Court Defines Expectation of Privacy, Canadian Employment Law Today, November 14, 2012
Managing Workplace Change Lessons from Wronko v. Western Inventory Service Ltd., with Chris Foulon, presented to Osgoode Hall Law School Professional Development CLE, Employment Law, 2009
Employee Negligence Not a Lost Cause, Canadian Employment Law Today, July 30, 2008
Changing Contracts Tricky, But Possible, Canadian Employment Law Today, August 29, 2007
Benefits Must Continue after Termination, with Malcolm MacKillop, Canadian Corporate Counsel, June 2006
Rich is a passionate leader of non-profit organizations providing mental health services and community engagement opportunities to children and youth. He is the former President of Delisle Youth Services (now Skylark Children, Youth and Families), an outstanding organization that supports young people through numerous mental health and developmental services programs. He is currently chair of the Board of Directors of The STEPS Initiative, an award-winning public arts organization that builds the capacity of citizens to create more vibrant and connected communities. Rich is also a member-at-large of the executive of the Ontario Bar Association's Employment and Labour Section.
In 2017, Rich was appointed to the Board of Governors of the University of Guelph for a three-year term. As a governor, Rich serves on the University's Human Resources and Governance Committee and Audit and Risk Committee. He assists the University in strategic planning and oversight, and supports the University's senior leadership team in executing its short and long-term objectives.