Two Lawyers from KSW Recognized as Leaders in Employment & Family Law
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LAWYER DESCRIPTION

Chris Drinovz is a Partner at KSW Lawyers and the founder and leader of the Employment & Labour Group. His calling is to excellence through the mastery of his craft and tireless dedication to his clients. He is described as hard-working, trustworthy, and genuine. His strong analytical mind (grounded in a mathematics background) and passion for writing and language make him a force to reckon with.    

Chris works with business leaders and union and non-union organizations to solve workplace legal problems and achieve long-term solutions that align with his client’s values. He is a dedicated advisor and an experienced courtroom advocate with a track record of success.

There is no workplace issue that Chris will not help with. His expertise covers the entire life cycle of the employer/employee relationship:  drafting and advising on employment contracts and workplace policies, conducting investigations, WorkSafeBC and occupational health & safety, dismissal planning advice and severance packages, negotiation and mediation of employment disputes, injunctions to protect confidential information or enforce non-solicits or non-competes, and representation in wrongful dismissal, employment standards, or human rights complaints. Chris also advises employers on staying non-union and helps his union clients with certification, bargaining, labour relations matters under the collective agreement, and grievance arbitrations.  

Chris is comfortable navigating the many different arenas of workplace law: all levels of provincial and federal court, the Labour Relations (BC) and Canada Industrial Relations Board and administrative tribunals such as the Human Rights Tribunal, Employment Standards Tribunal, Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal (WCAT), and Social Security Tribunal. Chris has also successfully challenged administrative decisions through judicial reviews and appeals.  

In 2021, Chris was recognized in the prestigious Canadian Legal “Lexpert” Directory as a Leading Lawyer to Watch in employment law for employers and employees. In the 2023 edition, Chris was recognized as a "Repeatedly Recommended" lawyer for Vancouver Leading Practitioners - Employers.

Chris is a strong believer in community and giving back to the profession. He serves as the Vice President of the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce and on the Policy Review Committee of the BC Chamber. He is also the Vice Chair on the Executive of the Employment Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association BC. He is regularly sought after for speaking engagements and seminars.

In his free time, Chris can be found skiing on the slopes of Whistler, powerlifting in his garage, listening to Miles Davis, or playing the drums for “Lost & Loaded” a cover band of legal professionals that pretend to be rockstars.

University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law

  • Juris Doctor – 2010
  • Honours: Law Foundation Award

University of British Columbia

  • B.Sc., Bachelor of Science – 2007
  • Honours: Undergraduate Scholar Program Award
  • Honours: Dean’s Honour List
  • Major: Mathematics
  • Minors: English Literature, Spanish

Professional And Community Involvement:

  • Canadian Bar Association BC, Vice-Chair for Employment Law Section
  • Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce, Vice-President on the Board of Directors
  • BC Chamber of Commerce, Policy Review Committee Member
  • Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia
  • Trusted Advisors Group for TEC Canada
  • “Workforce Reset: A Playbook for Worker and Employer Resilience”, Employer Panel
  • WorkSafeBC Policy Development Task Force
  • Surrey Cares Foundation, Past Board of Directors
  • Law Society of British Columbia
  • Friendly Drifter Society, Board of Directors
  • Coastal Jazz & Blues Society

Pro Bono Activities:

  • Volunteer on various Boards of Directors
  • Member of Access Pro Bono’s Lawyer Referral Service
  • Law Students Legal Advice Program, Peter Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia

Bar Admission:

  • British Columbia, 2011

Honours And Awards:

  • Recognized as 5-Star Employment Lawyers, "Best Employment Lawyer and Law Firm" across Canada in 2023 by the prestigious Canadian HR Reporter
  • Recognized in the 2023 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a Repeatedly Recommended lawyer for Vancouver Leading Practitioners - Employers.
  • Business Person of the Year Finalist, 2022 Business Excellence Awards by Surrey Board of Trade
  • Recognized in the 2021 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a Leading Lawyer to Watch in the practice area of employment law for employers and employees.
  • Rated Top 3 Best Employment Lawyers in Langley, Surrey and Abbotsford by ThreeBestRated, under Best Business of 2020 - 2023.
  • Rated Top 3 Best Employment Lawyers in Langley, Surrey and Abbotsford by ThreeBestRated, under Best Business of 2020 - 2023.
  • Rated Top 3 Best Employment Lawyers in Abbotsford by ThreeBestRated, under Best Business of 2019.
  • Georgia Strait, Best of Vancouver Awards, Best criminal lawyer in Vancouver, 2014.

Upcoming Event With

Past Events With

CHRIS DRINOVZ

MICHAEL J. WEILER

FAYME K. HODAL

16 Nov

The "Art" of Firing Breakfast Business Seminar

Is your business following HR bests practices when it comes to employee dismissals to prevent any legal challenges from occurring? How familiar are you with the Employment Standards Act (ESA)? What obligations are there at the time of dismissal?

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CHRIS DRINOVZ
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Testimonials

M Mac

If you're like me, you might only need a lawyer to represent you once in your life. And if you do find yourself needing legal help, I can only hope that you are as well represented and respectfully treated as I was by Chris Drinovz. He negotiated a settlement for me that was clear, fair and timely, and believe me, that wouldn't have happened without him. It's onwards and upwards for me now, and I'm very grateful for that.

2.16.2023

Melodee G

Professional, results driven, action oriented, responsive and thorough are words that come to mind when I describe my experience with Christopher Drinovz, Andrew Zacharias and the legal support team at KSW Lawyers. I had been working with another lawyer pertaining to my ICBC personal injury case for close to 4 years before Chris and Andrew agreed to take over my file. I immediately noticed a significant difference in terms of communication and efforts, compared to my previous representation, and with very little time to meet all-important deadlines for submission of evidence pertaining to my injuries. Chris and Andrew were able to quickly arrange a multitude of Independent Medical Examinations that were critical to the success of my claim and subsequent settlement. They were also able to recognize, based on the nature of my injuries, the specialized medical professionals required to provide thorough and relevant assessment and diagnoses. They were also able to accomplish in months, what would typically take several more months and even years. Thanks to them I am pleased with the outcome regarding my settlement and can move on with my life, thanks to the efforts of this dynamic duo! I hope I do not require their services again, but should I need to, I would definitely seek their assistance for my legal needs.

4.15.2021

Ashley Bouchard

From the first correspondence we had with Christopher Drinovz on an employment matter we knew we were in the right hands. Chris is always professional and his calm, confident demeanor continued to impress us throughout the process. We highly recommend Chris and his team!

1.3.2020

Alan McInnes

I can’t recommend Chris Drinovz of Kane, Shannon and Weiler enough to anyone seeking help with employment matters. Despite being handed a difficult situation, Chris was successful on my behalf. At all times he and his staff were responsive, caring, and professional in their manner and approach. His briefs are concise, articulate, and effective in bringing the key issues into focus for all parties. I’m incredibly grateful for his work on my behalf and recommend him without reservation to anyone needing help in employment law.

11.26.2019
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Successful Cases

Date
Practise Area
Lawyer
Description
3.3.2020
Human Rights
CHRIS DRINOVZ
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Our client was injured in a helicopter crash at work. The employer then terminated her employment while she was on medical leave and WorkSafeBC benefits. Our client filed a complaint under the Human Rights Code and the employer applied to dismiss the complaint under s. 27(1)(c) of the Code. We resited the application to dismiss and it was denied as the employer was unsuccessful in showing that the complaint had no reasonable prospect of success. Importantly, the tribunal found that “determinations made by WorkSafeBC abour whether an employee can return to a pre-injury job are not based on a human rights analysis of whether an employer has fulfilled its duty to accommodate.”
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1.21.2020
Commercial, Insurance & Criminal
CHRIS DRINOVZ
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Chris was co-counsel for the defendant in a case where the plaintiff claimed that the defendant intentionally ran him over with her vehicle. After a six day trial, the Court dismissed the plaintiff’s claims for aggravated and punitive damages and found the plaintiff was in fact 50% responsible for the incident.
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11.19.2019
WorkSafeBC Compensation
CHRIS DRINOVZ
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Judicial review – Workers Compensation Board accepted our client’s claim for a back injury sustained on a first day on the job with her new employer. In setting her long-term wage rate, WCB found her to be a ‘temporary’ worker. We argued for our client that her employment was permanent. WCAT dismissed our claim and affirmed the initial WCB decision. We petitioned the BC Supreme Court, and the Court found the WCAT decision was patently unreasonable as it failed to make findings about the words of our client’s oral employment contract. This judicial review presented an interesting intersection of employment law, workers compensation law, and administrative law. Read Chris’ blog post about this case here.
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9.20.2019
Employment Insurance & CPP
CHRIS DRINOVZ
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Chris’ client was denied Employment Insurance benefits after the Commission determined that she had left her job voluntarily. We appealed to the Social Security Tribunal and successfully argued that our client was in fact terminated from employment and therefore she was entitled to EI benefits. She received a retroactive payment and ongoing support during her search for new employment.
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Publications

DATE
TITLE
PUBLICATION
29.8.2021
Can an Employer Require Employees to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine (BC)? – CanLII Authors Program
CanLIIDocs 228
1.7.2020
“Constructive Dismissal After Covid-19” – Signals Magazine by New Car Dealers’ Association of BC
issuu
1.6.2020
“The New Era of Employment Law” – BarTalk Magazine by Canadian Bar Association of BC
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CHRIS DRINOVZ

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*By clicking submit you agree you have read our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer
Disclaimer: the information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as a lawyer-client relationship has been established. By checking this box you agree to receive communications from KSW Lawyers, which may include quarterly email Newsletters containing legal updates (may easily unsubscribe at any time).

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