CHRIS D. DRINOVZ

Partner
CHRIS D. DRINOVZ
Areas of practice
HONOURS AND AWARDS
Chris Drinovz has been 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 and 2021
- 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
Location
Phone
Fax
Paralegal
Kirsten Hildebrandt – krh@old.kswlawyers.ca
Legal Assistant
Orsolya Simon – obs@old.kswlawyers.ca
About
Biography
Chris acts as general employment counsel for many local small and mid-sized Fraser Valley businesses. He takes a practical and pragmatic approach to planning and/or dispute resolution tailored to the need of each client. He also represents wrongfully dismissed employees which experience includes being co-counsel in a class action lawsuit against a large national employer.
Chris has appeared in Provincial, Supreme Court, the BC Court of Appeal, and the Federal Court of Canada. His litigation experience includes mediations, arbitrations, injunctions, judicial reviews, trials, and appeals. He also regularly appears in provincial and federal administrative tribunals such as the Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal, Social Security Tribunal, Human Rights Tribunal, and Employment Standards Tribunal.
A recipient of the Governor General’s Academic Medal, Chris studied Mathematics, English Literature, and Spanish at the University of British Columbia as an Undergraduate Scholar. In 2007, Chris graduated on the Dean’s Honour List with a Bachelor of Science, having also been recognized by the Golden Key International Honour Society for being in the top 15% of all students. Chris continued his education at UBC Law School where his honours included the Law Foundation Award. While attending UBC Law, Chris was active in the Law Students Legal Advice Program (LSLAP) and the Union Gospel Mission. Chris articled at a large Fraser Valley Firm where he practiced employment law, commercial litigation, and criminal law. He was named the third best lawyer in the criminal law category of the 2014 Georgia Strait Best of Vancouver Awards. He then practiced at a boutique employment and disability law firm in Langley before joining KSW in 2016. He is currently on the Executive of the Canadian Bar Association, Employment Law Subsection.
Chris has a passion for skiing, power-lifting and music. He is an avid jazz fan and a member of the Coastal Jazz & Blues Society. He also plays drums for “Lost & Loaded” a rock cover band recently invited to compete in the Battle of the Insurance Bands.
PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Canadian Bar Association, Executive for Employment Law Section
- BC Chamber of Commerce, Policy Review Committee Member
- Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia
- Trusted Advisors Group for TEC Canada
- Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors
- “Workforce Reset: A Playbook for Worker and Employer Resilience”, Employer Panel
- WorkSafeBC Policy Development Task Force
- Surrey Cares Foundation, Board of Directors
- Law Society of British Columbia
- Friendly Drifter Society, Board of Directors
- Coastal Jazz & Blues Society
PRO BONO ACTIVITIES
- Member of Access Pro Bono’s Lawyer Referral Service
- Law Students Legal Advice Program, Peter Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia
Education
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
Bar Admission
- British Columbia, 2011
UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS
Email for presentation or seminar requests.
RECENT PRESENTATIONS
- Langley Chamber of Commerce – COVID Vaccination in the Workplace – February 11, 2021
- Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce 2021 Virtual Lunch N’ Learn: HR Management – Answers to Most Common Workplace Questions – Jan 28, 2021
- The Art of Hiring – Chartered Professionals in Human Resources BC & Yukon (and across Canada) – Q&A from attendees available here.
- Winter Business Webinar – November 4, 2020 – Recording available here.
- Getting Back to Business – webinar co-hosted with Raymond James and Avisar – watch recording here – June , 2020
- Financial Recovery Post COVID – Webinar for Beauty Council Western Canada members-only – May, 2020
- Webinar for the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce – Navigating your Business in the Road to Recovery – May, 2020
- Webinar for New Car Dealers Association of BC and members – Questions About CEWS, CERB, Covid-19 and the Workplace Answered – May, 2020
- Let’s Talk: Questions about COVID-19, the Workplace & Your Business Webinar – April, 2020
- Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce Virtual Townhall – “Your Top 10 Questions Answered: Human Resources & COVID-19”, April 2020
- “Art of Hiring”: Surrey Civic Hotel, January 2020
- “Employment Standards Act Amendments”: Surrey Civic Hotel, November 2019
- “Risky Business: Modern-day Tactics to Protect Your Business, People & Tech”: The Dragon Lounge, September, 2019
- “Mental Distress & Punitive Damages”, Employment Law Continuing Legal Education Conference, Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, May 2019
PUBLICATIONS
- Can an Employer Require Employees to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine (BC)? – CanLII Authors Program, 2021 CanLIIDocs 228
- “Constructive Dismissal After Covid-19” – Signals Magazine by New Car Dealers’ Association of BC – July 2020
- “The New Era of Employment Law” – BarTalk Magazine by Canadian Bar Association of BC – June 2020 – Read here
- “A Summary of Recent Employment Law Trends Developing in Ontario and How Those Trends Are Being Applied in BC” (co-author), Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, May 2019 – Read PDF here: CLEBC – Employment Law Conference 2019 PAPER 8.1
- White Paper: “Optimizing Your Organization’s Group Retirement Plan” (co-author), January 2016
CLIENT DECISIONS
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