On Thursday, September 28, Natalie C. MacDonald was named Employment Lawyer of the Year by Canadian HR Reporter. This prestigious national award was granted during a dinner reception at Toronto's Ritz-Carlton to celebrate the National HR Awards by Canadian HR Reporter, and Thomson Reuters.
"I am both humbled and honoured to have been chosen Employment Lawyer of the Year, particularly amongst the wealth of talented employment lawyers across this country. I chose to practice employment law because employment forms such a part of our identity, that when it is negatively impacted, so too is our sense of self-worth and self-esteem – whether you are employee or employer. I strive to manage my firm and my practice in order to make a positive difference in Canadian employment law for all", said Ms. MacDonald.
Over 150 people attended the award ceremony, which celebrated and honoured the leading HR professionals in Canada. The judges for the awards were made up of a panel of respected professionals from all over North America. The winners were selected through a rigorous judging process from a competitive pool of nominations across Canada.
Ms. MacDonald is the owner and founder of MacDonald & Associates, a law firm specializing in Canadian Employment Law. In 2017, Natalie won Galea v. Wal-Mart Canada Inc., a landmark case in which she achieved the highest amounts of extraordinary damages in employment law, where her client was awarded $500,000 for punitive damages, and $250,000 for moral damages for its bad faith manner of dismissal becoming the leading case in extraordinary damages in Canadian employment law. She is also author of the critically acclaimed textbook, Extraordinary Damages in Canadian Employment Law.