Vicki L. Giles

Vicki is highly sought-after for her extensive experience and ability to resolve matters quickly and efficiently. Practical and knowledgeable, she provides guidance that puts client needs at the forefront.

Vicki’s practice focuses on the areas of employment, human rights, privacy, labour and administrative law. She advises employers on a wide range of employment, personnel and labour issues (including collective bargaining). She is valued by employers for her accessibility and capacity for providing prompt day-to-day advice regarding terminations, policies and procedures, absenteeism, discipline, the duty to accommodate, performance management, discrimination, harassment, hiring, and general management of employees. She also has experience conducting workplace investigations.

Vicki is particularly known for assisting employers with the accommodation of employees under the human rights legislation, and defending complaints made against employers to the Human Rights Commission. She has successfully achieved dismissal for a number of claims at the investigation stage.

Vicki also practices in the expanding area of privacy law and provides advice to clients regarding both provincial and federal private sector privacy legislation. She has assisted clients in responding to privacy complaints about matters such as surveillance, drug and alcohol testing and privacy breaches and has successfully challenged decisions (through judicial review) of the Privacy Commissioner with respect to time limits and allowed purposes for collection and use of personal information.

When litigation is necessary, Vicki does not hesitate to call on her hearing experience. She has appeared before all levels of court, arbitrators, and the Alberta Labour Relations Board.

Clients appreciate Vicki’s ability to maintain her composure, her perspective, and her sense of humor. She knows that the ultimate goal in her area of law is to ensure that employers and employees work well together. She never loses sight of the big picture, giving her the ability to provide practical advice that considers both the law and the human aspect. She recognizes that sometimes the right answer from a legal perspective is not the right answer from a people perspective and structures her advice accordingly.

Vicki’s community involvement includes acting as a board member for the Firefly Circus Academy.