Darren Stratton

About Darren

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Darren Stratton is a prominent management-side labour and employment lawyer who counsels employers on various aspects of Canadian labour and employment law.

For over 30 years, Darren has helped employers understand their rights and obligations pertaining to union-management relations, health and safety, employee discharge and discipline, human rights and employment standards – all within their unique regulatory and labour relations environments.

Darren has worked predominately with clients in the oil and gas, mining, utilities and construction industries, helping them achieve their safety and productivity goals in a manner consistent with their development and benefit commitments. He has earned his clients’ trust for his extensive knowledge and experience and has successfully represented them in collective bargaining; grievance arbitration; labour relations board and human rights proceedings; court actions; and mediation.

Having developed an interest in labour and employment early in his post-secondary education, Darren has gained considerable expertise in this area, earning him recognition by Best Lawyers in Canada since 2010, and has been listed as a Provincial Litigation Star under employment law in Benchmark Litigation Canada. He has been named Best Lawyers® 2022 Labour and Employment “Lawyer of the Year”. Darren has also been listed in the Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory and the Chambers Canada 2023 Legal Rankings for Employment & Labour. From 2015 to 2017, Darren represented Newfoundland and Labrador as a board member of Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers. He continues to be an active member of this leading management-side labour and employment lawyers’ organization.

Darren has taught labour relations at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Memorial University. He continues to provide specialized training and seminars on employment law and labour relations topics for clients and other lawyers. Darren is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Law Society of Newfoundland & Labrador. He is a member of the Law Society’s Disciplinary Panel and chairs the Labour and Employment Section of its Bar Admission Course.

Darren is an employer representative on the Labour Management Arbitration Committee established under the NL Labour Relations Act. He has also contributed to his community as vice-chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers’ Council, director of the Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation and president of the Better Business Bureau of Newfoundland and Labrador. He is a former commissioner of the Newfoundland and Labrador Council of Scouts Canada.