Universities & Colleges

Canada’s higher education institutions are critical organs of society. They develop tomorrow’s thought-leaders and professionals, produce cutting-edge research and employ thousands of individuals. As a result of their depth and breadth, they are also complex institutions to run.

WeirFoulds acts for a range of clients in the higher education sector, namely universities, colleges and vocational schools, and their administrators, educators and students. We work closely with educational institutions’ boards, administrators and general counsel to help them fulfill their educational mandates and comply with employment and human rights laws. We regularly negotiate employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements and advise on tenure, promotions, terminations and labour disputes. We are strong believers in risk assessment, management and prevention. As such, we partner with our clients in this space on policy review and development. We provide well-reasoned, practical, and in some cases, just-in-time advice to universities on research, academic, intellectual property and disciplinary matters. We also assist with a range of commercial matters, including real estate acquisitions and divestitures, facility construction and renovation, project financing and research funding arrangements, and patent applications.

Our litigators also represent educators and students in disciplinary proceedings or judicial review applications relating to charges of professional misconduct, plagiarism, human rights violations or other issues.