§ Workplace Disputes
Demand Letters · Severance · Negotiation · Pre-litigation
A dispute doesnot need drama.It needs a position.
Most workplace conflicts are solved by a clear read of position, leverage, and timing — not by courtroom posture. Northline works the file like counsel, not like theatre: what you can establish, what the other side actually needs, and the route that gets there.
- Consultations
- From $450
- Approach
- Position · leverage · timing
- Forum
- Pre-litigation focus
§ 01 — How we work the file
Structured, not reactive.
Every dispute gets the same structural read: what are the facts, what can be established with what we have, what does the other side actually need, what is the realistic range, and what is the fastest acceptable resolution?
Northline practises on the pre-litigation side — demand letters, severance and contract disputes, negotiations, and settlement strategy. Where a matter needs to be litigated through to trial, we refer to the right counsel early, not late.
§ 02 — Five reads
What structures the file.
Position
What legal position can be supported with the facts, the documents, and the contemporaneous record — and what cannot.
Leverage
What the other side needs from us, from the calendar, or from the wider relationship — and where time works for or against the matter.
Evidence
The documents, communications, and records that actually exist — and what they show read together, not clause by clause.
Timing
Deadlines, statutory windows, and business cadence that determine whether to act now, later, or hold for the next move.
Route
The fastest acceptable resolution — demand, negotiation, mediation, settlement, or an escalation if it is warranted.
§ 03 — Common matters
Where disputes tend to land.
Demand letters
Structured demand correspondence on contract, employment, or commercial matters — with a written position and a requested outcome.
Severance disputes
Reviews of termination letters and severance packages from either side of the table, with negotiation options and counterparty strategy.
Workplace conflict
Harassment, discrimination, discipline, and performance management matters — including risk review and procedural next steps.
Contract disputes
Breach, scope, payment, termination, and warranty disputes on commercial contracts — resolved by position before posture.
Settlement discussions
Negotiation support, drafting and reviewing settlement terms, release language, confidentiality, and non-disparagement provisions.
Pre-litigation strategy
Where a matter may need to be litigated, we scope the strategy, identify the right counsel, and prepare the file to survive escalation.
§ 04 — Tone
No posturing. No promises.
We do not guarantee outcomes. We do not promise the other side a result. We do not send correspondence designed to inflate a fee. And we do not use the word “specialist”.
What you can expect is a clear read, a position you can stand on, and a written scope. Everything else is theatre.
§ 05 — Related
Adjacent matters.
Practice
For Employers
Hiring, policies, terminations, and risk—before they become disputes.
Continue
Practice
Contracts
Scope, payment, termination, ownership, liability, leverage.
Continue
Practice
Business
Structure, ownership, and the documents behind the decisions.
Continue
Guide · Severance
Severance Review Guide
A six-stage sequential walkthrough — from before the conversation through to the post-signing window — for executives and individual contributors.
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Employers
Employer Termination Planning
Process, documentation, notice, statutory obligations, and risk management — structured preparation before the conversation happens.
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Insight · Disputes
Demand letter or call: choosing the first move
The opening move in a workplace or commercial dispute is a strategic choice, not a default. Relationship, evidence, and counterparty disposition decide which one goes first.
Continue
§ Start a dispute file
Bring the facts. Leave with a position.
A dispute consultation ends with a structured read on position, leverage, timing, and the next written step. Scoped fee follows if the work continues.
Toronto · Ontario