Irfan Kara

Irfan is a trusted advocate for employers across industries, providing strategic counsel on the full spectrum of workplace matters, managing complex, high-stakes employment disputes and delivering practical and risk-based strategic advice on a wide range of employment issues.

Irfan’s practice focuses on employment litigation, corporate/commercial litigation, class actions and privacy law.

He has a particular focus on employment-related matters. He regularly acts for and advises employers on executive departures, employment class actions, employment contracts, restrictive covenants, terminations, wrongful dismissal claims, human rights, reprisal and harassment complaints, workplace investigations, white-collar issues and employment privacy issues. Irfan regularly provides advice related to diversity, equity and inclusion obligations to employers and organizations across Canada, including with respect to the use and implementation of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace.

Irfan has acted for and advised several major financial institutions and large organizations on issues relating to executive departures and departing investment advisors. He has also acted as counsel to defendants in a number of precedent-setting national employment class actions including in matters on behalf of Canada Cartage and the Canadian Hockey League.

Irfan has appeared as counsel at all levels of court in Ontario and at various Ontario administrative tribunals, including the Ontario Labour Relations Board and the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. Irfan has also appeared as counsel across the country, including in Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia.

Irfan is an elected member of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) Labour & Employment Law and Class Actions Law Executives. He is an instructor at Osgoode Hall Law School's Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop. He also sits on the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers' Program Planning Committee, is a member of the Toronto Lawyers Association, the Advocates' Society and the American Bar Association.