Geoffrey Howard - Chair

Geoff is a Lawyer at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP and has been on the Advisory Council since 2006.

Mr. Howard practices in the areas of employment law, privacy law and commercial litigation. He has extensive experience in representing both employers and employees in all aspects of the employment relationship, from employment agreements to human rights and employment standards claims and compliance, through to advising on wrongful dismissal and enforcing restrictive covenants. In his work for clients, he strives to combine prompt and regular client communication with a cost-effective and creative approach to dispute resolution.

After graduating second in his class from the University of British Columbia Law School in 1987, Mr. Howard articled in Toronto with a major national firm before serving as Executive Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Financial Institutions. He resumed the practice of law with a leading Toronto employment law firm, before returning to his native British Columbia in 1994. From 1995 to 2005, he was an associate and then partner with a major national law firm.

Mr. Howard is a prolific writer and speaker on employment law topics. He currently writes a regular column on employment law for Business in Vancouver, as well as writing frequently for a host of professional and industry association publications. He presents seminars through the Institute of Chartered Accountants of B.C., has lectured at Simon Fraser University and has presented to human resource associations in British Columbia and the United States.

He is an active member of the Canadian Bar Association and the American Bar Association employment and labour law sections, as well as BC HRMA and the French Chamber of Commerce. An avid skier and cyclist, Mr. Howard is a playing member of the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club. He is also a rugby coach with the Meralomas Rugby Club. A dual Canadian/French citizen, he is fluent in written and spoken French.

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