Our Team

Kate Dearden (Zavitz) is an associate lawyer at Watershed LLP.   Kate articled and practiced Labour and Employment law in the Toronto office of one of Canada’s largest national law firms for several years before joining Watershed LLP.

Kate has a multi-faceted practice providing strategic advice and counsel to unionized and non-unionized employers in all employment and labour law matters.

As part of her day-to-day counsel, Kate provides practical advice aimed at achieving her client’s objectives while complying with statutory and other legal requirements.  Kate regularly negotiates and drafts employment agreements and policies, and provides advice on employment standards, discipline and dismissal, among other workplace issues.

Kate has represented clients in a range of employment-related litigation including before the Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, the Ontario Labour Relations Board, provincial offences court, and in Ministry of Labour investigations.

Kate is a member of the Labour and Employment section, as well as the Young Lawyers Division of the Ontario Bar Association.  Kate has co-chaired a number of seminars at the OBA [most recently Fundamentals of Employment Law and Your First Civil Trial], has prepared numerous articles, papers and presentations on a host of labour and employment law issues.

Kate earned her Civil Law degree (B.C.L.) and her Common Law Degree (LL.B.) from McGill University.  While studying at McGill, Kate participated in a clerkship program with a judge at the Quebec Court of Appeal.  Prior to enrolling in law school, Kate obtained an undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Environmental Studies) from the University of Waterloo and a graduate degree from the University of Toronto (Master of Science in Planning).