Sean Bawden is Experience. At Work.
An experienced trial lawyer and trusted strategic advisor with respect to matters of employment law and commercial disputes, Sean Bawden is a partner with Kelly Santini LLP, located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Sean has considerable experience advising clients in all aspects of employment law including wrongful dismissal claims, workplace harassment claims and investigations, and human rights. He has counseled countless clients with respect to the employment implications on mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions.
Sean has successfully represented clients, both individuals and corporations, in front of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ontario Court of Justice, the Court of Appeal for Ontario. In addition, he has appeared before several administrative boards, including the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), and professional disciplinary boards.
Sean has extensive experience being responsible for litigation management of matters proceeding before countless foreign bodies including the United States District Court (SDNY; DNJ; WDTX), the British Columbia Supreme Court, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, and the Superior Court of Quebec. Sean has also represented clients in a myriad of international tribunals, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal.
Sean is the publisher of this law blog, which has been cited with approval by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (2021 ONSC 2133). Labour Pains was inducted into the Canadian Law Blog Hall of Fame in 2019, after having previously been named “the best employment law blog in Canada.”
Since 2025 Sean has been recognized by Best Lawyers Best Lawyers for Labour & Employment Law.
Sean occassionally takes files on a contigency fee basis. The maximum contigency fee that he would charge is 35% of recovery, plus costs.
Education
- B.A.(Hons) Glendon College, York University.
- LL.B. University of Ottawa
- Called to the Bar of Ontario: 2008
Sample Reported Decisions
- Barresi v. Jones Lang Lasalle Real Estate Services Inc., 2019 ONCA 884 (CanLII)
- Bottiglia v Ottawa Catholic School Board, 2017 ONSC 2517 (CanLII)
- Farah v EODC Inc., 2017 ONSC 3948 (CanLII)
- Barton v Bowerman, 2016 CanLII 30100 (ON SCSM)
- Accreditation Canada International v Guerra, 2016 ONSC 3595 (CanLII)
- Wellman v. The Herjavec Group Inc., 2014 ONSC 2039 (CanLII)
- National Farmers Union - Ontario v. Ontario (Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal), 2013 ONSC 6452 (CanLII)
- 595799 Ontario Limited v. Galpin, 2010 ONCA 834 (CanLII)
