Alissa Demerse

604.806.3857 |

Alissa is a partner at Roper Greyell where she provides practical and strategic advice to employers in all areas of employment and labour law, including human rights law and workplace safety matters. Her detail-oriented approach allows her to see the heart of the matter and find effective solutions.

Alissa is proactively involved in resolving disputes and grievances in her clients’ unionized and non-unionized workplaces. She is a tenacious and dedicated team member who searches for the smart result for her clients. This approach makes her an invaluable advisor to many public and private sector employers in British Columbia.

Alissa is known for creating a clear view of a complex situation in the midst of a crisis event

Alissa has extensive experience assisting clients with workplace investigations, including: bullying and harassment complaints and investigations; discipline investigations; and, serious injury and fatality investigations by WorkSafeBC. She regularly advises employers on collective agreement interpretation and grievances, drafting employment contracts and workplace policies, employee discipline and termination decisions, managing medical leaves and accommodation requests, occupational health and safety prevention matters and appeals, privacy law and critical incident management. She is known to provide empathetic leadership in times of crisis and is focused on keeping her clients informed, organized and prepared to avoid unnecessary litigation and disputes.

As a trusted advocate who represents employers in complex hearings, Alissa holds an unparalleled ability to distill the facts and focus on the relevant details for each case and client. She appears as counsel at labour arbitrations, the Labour Relations Board, the Workers’ Compensation Review Board and Appeal Tribunal, the Employment Standards Branch and Tribunal, the Human Rights Tribunal, Coroner’s Inquests and the courts.

Alissa spends her time away from work exploring the world through the eyes of her children.  She loves to travel and enjoys spending as much time as she can on Vancouver Island and in New Zealand with her extended family.

Education

B.A., Criminology, Simon Fraser University
JD, University of British Columbia

Year of call

British Columbia, 2007

Publications

Membership / Affiliations

Canadian Bar Association
Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers
Employers’ Forum (OHS)
Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of British Columbia and Yukon (CPHR BC & YK)
Vancouver Bar Association

Listings / Rankings

Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2022,2024, Repeatedly Recommended for “Workers Compensation – Employer” and “Occupational Health & Safety”
Canadian Occupational Safety | 5-Star Safety Law Firms and Lawyers 2022