Harris & Company
Legal Partners for a New Era

Leading a team today feels a lot like walking a tightrope. In the public sector, organizations must navigate layers of policy, politics, and accountability. In the private sector, it’s a constant balancing act between compliance and staying competitive. Whether it’s everyday HR questions or high-stakes legal decisions, today’s employers need more than legal advice—they need guidance that cuts through the noise and helps them move forward with confidence.

For moments like these, Harris & Company isn’t just a fit—it’s an edge. As one of Western Canada’s leading workplace law firms, Harris brings clarity, creativity, and a deep understanding of what’s really at stake.

“Every issue engages more than just the law - there are also human, operational, and reputational complexities that must be considered,” says Lindsie Thomson, Managing Partner. “By blending our expertise in employment, labour and human rights law with a deep understanding of our clients’ operations, we help employers see around corners, manage risk, and unlock new ways forward.”

Founded in 1992, Harris & Company has built a strong client base across a wide range of sectors. In the public sphere, it advises clients in k-12 and higher education, health, municipal government, transit, social services, Crown corporations, First Nations, and other government entities. On the private side, Harris works with organizations in key industries such as entertainment, ports and shipping, pulp and paper, mining, technology, hospitality, construction, and manufacturing.

And the depth goes further. Harris has also developed in-house subspecialties, including privacy, occupational health and safety, workers’ compensation, federal labour law, and business immigration. With such a broad structure, the firm offers not only legal knowledge but also operational insight— something rare in both large generalist firms and smaller boutiques. This deep sector expertise has driven the firm’s organic growth and strategic lateral hires, expanding the team from 12 lawyers in the early 1990s to over 60, today.

Thanks to its size and specialized capabilities, Harris is well-positioned to handle complex matters such as labour injunctions—a fact well-illustrated by a notable case in Vancouver. A few years ago, a prolonged labour dispute in the hospitality sector involved a major hotel union setting up a picket line outside a downtown hotel. Their strategy included constant drumming as well as air horns, sirens, blow horns, whistles, and music and pre-recorded sounds amplified through a speaker—loud, disruptive noise that went on for days and clearly served as a form of pressure.

The team at Harris took a creative approach—not relying solely on the law of nuisance typically used in labour injunctions, but turning as well to workplace safety regulations. In British Columbia, occupational health and safety laws limit the decibel level workers can be exposed to without protection. The firm brought in an expert to measure the noise levels, and the data showed that the picket line exceeded legal workplace decibel limits as well as noise bylaws.

This strengthened the argument that the union was creating an unsafe work environment—ironically, right outside its own workplace. The team presented the evidence, and the judge issued an order restricting the noise. It was a win not just for the client, but for everyone living or working downtown that summer.

Such creative solutions reflect the calibre of Harris & Company’s lawyers and litigators. They handle employment, regulatory, and general litigation, and are always prepared to pivot to urgent injunction matters. To deliver this level of responsiveness, the firm ensures that litigators remain actively engaged in client work while staying ready for rapid deployment.

With a combination of legal depth, practical insight, and sector-specific expertise, Harris & Company delivers more than just legal advice—it offers real-world solutions that help leaders act with clarity and confidence.