Who We Are

People

Simon Kent

A lawyer since 1997, Simon started what is now Kent Employment Law in 2001. His legal experience includes work in the BC Provincial Court, BC Supreme Court, the BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada (leave application).

Simon provides advice to both employees and employers on employment law issues. In addition, Simon also works on employment-related cases such as shareholder disputes. These cases include partnership disputes as well as oppression actions brought by dismissed employees who are also shareholders of the employer.

Simon is the past president of the Employment Law subsection of the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) and was a presenter at the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Continuing Legal Education Employment Law Conference held in Vancouver. The articles he presented there can be found elsewhere on this website.

Simon is involved with the Western Canada Society to Access Justice, which provides free legal clinics to help those people who could not otherwise access legal advice. Simon also sits as a member of the BC Cancer Agency Research Ethics Board (legal advisor).

On a personal note, Simon is the father to three daughters and his extracurricular activities include skiing, hiking, and squash.

Suzanne M. Forestell

Before moving to Vancouver, Suzanne studied at and graduated with distinction from the University of Calgary with a degree in Communications and Spanish.  She attended Law School at the University of British Columbia, and completed her last semester in Spanish at the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. 

Suzanne articled at a prominent downtown Vancouver litigation firm and spent her first years practicing there after being called to the bar in 2001.  In the fall of 2003, she decided to move to a smaller downtown firm to concentrate on Labour and Employment Law. 

She joined Kent Employment Law in May 2006, and continues to focus her practice on providing advice to both employers and employees on various workplace issues, including disputes under Employment Standards, Labour, and Human Rights legislation.  Suzanne has appeared at all levels of Court in British Columbia and wrote an argument for the Supreme Court of Canada on an important issue concerning damages in tort cases.

In addition, Suzanne has authored and co-authored articles and papers for the Annual Review of Civil Litigation, the Lawyers Weekly and the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC. 

Suzanne is a member of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and the CBABC Employment and Labour law subsections.  She has been a volunteer for several organizations including Westcoast LEAF, where she sat on the Government and Legislation Liaison Committee, and Vancouver Coop Radio, where she sat as President of the Board in 2005.  Most recently she spent time volunteering at the Vancouver Art Gallery with their SuperSunday family program. In her spare time, Suzanne enjoys exploring new countries, wines, restaurants and authors. 

Jonas McKay

Jonas graduated from the UBC Faculty of Law in 2005. He articled in his home town of Nanaimo, and was called to the bar in 2006.

Jonas gained litigation experience in the personal injury field before joining Kent Employment Law. He enjoys helping his clients to achieve practical and cost effective solutions to their employment law problems.

Prior to attending law school, Jonas obtained a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Victoria. When not in the office, Jonas enjoys playing hockey, snowboarding, and walking his dog.

Jason D. Ellis

Jason graduated from the University of Ottawa law faculty in April 2008. He also holds an honours degree in political science from the University of British Columbia.

Jason grew up on Vancouver Island and has resided in Vancouver since 1997. His interest in employment litigation stems from over 12 years of construction experience as an inter-provincially certified electrician and subsequent business studies.

Jason’s interest in sport includes rugby and weightlifting and his penchant for travelling has taken him throughout Australia, New Zealand, south-east Asia, southern and eastern Africa, Brazil, and parts of Europe.