Bio
Jody Sutherland collaborates with her clients to come up with creative, proactive solutions that are tailored to their specific needs. She offers timely communication, honest opinions, and a thorough analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each case in three key areas of law: employment, litigation, and insurance defence.
Jody’s significant experience representing employers in employment and human rights matters allows her to see an issue from different perspectives and understand the unique challenges of each situation. She provides skilled representation and strong advocacy on wrongful dismissal claims and human rights complaints and offers sound strategic advice to employers for best practices on employment matters and workplace policies, including termination of employment, accommodation, and return to work plans.
Jody has a particular interest in workplace investigations, and has a breadth of experience both conducting investigations and advising clients on managing the process and outcomes.
Jody provides guidance to employers and employees at any stage of an employment contract. She has experience advising executives during negotiations of employment agreements and on their rights and obligations upon departure. She also assists with drafting, implementing, revising, and enforcing contracts, including independent contractor agreements, severance agreements, and non-competition and confidentiality provisions.
In her litigation practice, Jody has represented both corporations and individuals in a variety of contractual disputes, as well as actions concerning breach of fiduciary duty, defamation, and malicious prosecution. Jody has extensive experience representing professionals in claims of negligence, as well as in disciplinary matters before their regulatory bodies. She also works with a number of national insurers providing coverage opinions and acting as defence counsel on matters concerning directors' and officer's liability, property loss and damage, construction disputes, and personal injury claims.
Always focused on her clients’ best interests and future goals, Jody is known for paying attention to detail in order to understand individual needs, circumstances, tolerance for risk, and motivation for litigation. She is a good listener who engages in considered conversations with clients to get to know them better. To prepare and adjust strategies to obtain desired results, Jody makes the effort to understand both sides of a story. This not only helps her to better anticipate strategies of opposing counsel, but also to engage in more meaningful dialogue with counsel and parties throughout a file to either facilitate resolution or ensure a matter can move forward in a less contentious and more efficient manner.