Mike is a founding partner at Roper Greyell, where he provides strategic advice in the areas of employment, labour and human rights law in the workplace for a wide range of public and private sector businesses. He represents employers in all aspects of employment and labour law and frequently appears at the Human Rights Tribunal, at arbitration hearings, at the Labour Relations Board and in court.
Best known as a management-side human rights lawyer, Mike specializes in representing employers in complicated labour arbitrations; specifically, for issues such as duty to accommodate, collective agreement interpretation and conflicts involving interpersonal relations, medical history and mental health issues.
Mike integrates himself into his clients’ businesses and takes pride in his role as a long term, trusted strategic advisor on their teams
Mike integrates himself into his clients’ businesses and takes pride in his role as a long term, trusted strategic advisor on their teams. He delivers measurable solutions that tangibly improve his clients’ competitive advantages. For example, he has worked with clients to create policies and processes that have lowered absenteeism, improved morale and lowered legal fees year over year. Invested in his clients’ success, Mike also conducts seminars and workshops on strategies for improving attendance and human rights law in the workplace for organizations, HR professionals and other lawyers.
Mike’s practice style enables him to address issues before they become formal disputes, and to resolve challenges in a favourable, private, and cost-effective manner. Casual and down-to-earth, with a healthy dose of humor, Mike can artfully alleviate the stress of difficult situations and help clients focus on moving through them towards resolution.
Before becoming a lawyer, Mike was a fishing guide, a mill worker, biologist, psychologist, human resources officer, and an opera singer, among other eclectic roles. These days, most of his personal time is occupied by his children and their various activities.
Education
B.Sc., Biology and Psychology, Simon Fraser University
B.A., Music, University of British Columbia
LL.B., University of British Columbia
Year of call
British Columbia, 1997
Publications
Father’s Family Status Denied by BC Court of Appeal
Dealing With Employees Who Deny Unfitness To Work
Law Professor’s Human Rights Complaint Against University of British Columbia Dismissed
$75,000 award for injury to dignity = “patently unreasonable”
“Physical Disability” Defined – A Critical Threshold Question
2013 Ends with a Bang: $75,000 Award for Injury to Dignity Sets High Water Mark
Membership / Affiliations
BC Human Resources Management Association
British Columbia Industrial Relations Association
Canadian Association of University Solicitors
Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers (CACE)
Listings / Rankings
Who’s Who Legal, 2016-2018 – Labour, Employment and Benefits
Lexpert-Ranked Lawyer, 2016-2018
Best Lawyers Global Business Edition, 2020 – Employment + Labour Law
Legal Assistant
604.806.3833
