The lawyer also accused the firm, Bernardi Human Resource Law, of racial discrimination, harassment

A Brampton employment lawyer filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against her former law firm, alleging the firm fostered a discriminatory work environment and engaged in “flagrant failures” to accommodate her when she suffered medical issues that included a life-threatening miscarriage, blood transfusion, and IVF procedures.

The lawyer, Lavinia Latham, alleged that Bernardi Human Resource Law LLP, which provides labour and employment law services, also failed to pay her for work she completed and mistreated racialized lawyers, including those who worked at the company.

Latham said the firm continued its harassment after her departure in December, attempting to force her into signing an “excessive” statutory declaration and accusing her of violating a non-solicitation clause in her employment contract when she made a post on LinkedIn.

Latham told Law Times that the firm only stopped pressing her to sign the statutory declaration once she retained counsel. The lawyer, who is Black, says she decided to pursue legal action partly because she learned she was not the only racialized lawyer at the firm who endured bullying and discrimination.

“It’s a pattern,” Latham says. She noted that such workplace issues are typically not resolved in a public forum. “My concern is that someone else is going to experience what I experienced, since there seems to be a pattern of focusing on those who are...

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