Termination With Cause Lawyers
Most Cause Claims Don't Hold Up
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Your partner on the path toYour partner toyour full severance.
They called it cause to pay you nothing. Most cause claims fall apart. Mirza Law gets back what you're owed, so you can move on.
Do not sign anything.
One signature settles everything: your notice, your bonus, your benefits, your claim. Get the offer checked first. The review is free.
Your offer letter, annotated.
Dear Employee,
"This offer represents two (2) weeks' pay per year of service"
There is no weeks-per-year rule. Courts set severance by your age, your role, and your length of service. For most people it's measured in months.
"Payment has been calculated based on your base salary"
Your bonus, commissions, benefits, and pension count too. An offer built on salary alone is almost always too low.
"This offer is made in accordance with the Employment Standards Act"
The minimum the law allows is the floor, not the real number. Most employees are owed the common law amount, which sits on top of it.
"This offer remains open until Friday at 5:00 p.m."
Their deadline, not yours. Your claim is good for two years. Deadlines like this exist to get a signature before you get advice.
"In exchange, you agree to release all claims against the company"
The only sentence in the letter you can't undo. Everything above it can still change. This one can't, once you sign.
Sincerely,
Human Resources
"Cause lets an employer pay nothing. But the bar is serious misconduct, and most cause claims don't hold up."
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From offer
to what you're owed
Free review
Send your termination letter, your offer, and your employment contract. We read the fine print and work out what you're really owed, not just the legal minimum.
Negotiation
We send your employer the real number in writing, with the court cases that back it up. Most claims settle right here, with no courtroom. We push until the offer matches what you're owed.
Resolution
We check the fine print on the release, you sign, and your settlement lands in your bank account. This chapter closes and you move forward on your terms.
What could you be owed?
Courts decide reasonable notice using your age, position, tenure, and the job market. Run your numbers.
Your severance isn't just salary.
The estimate above is computed on salary alone. Severance is owed on what you actually earned: average bonus, commission, benefits continuation, pension match. If it was part of your pay, it's part of your severance.
The free review prices every line.
Amir Mirza
Managing Attorney
Licensed: 2017Termination for cause in Ontario, explained
What does “for cause” actually mean?
“For cause” is the one way an employer can let you go and pay nothing, which is exactly why they reach for it. But the bar is very high: serious misconduct like theft or dishonesty, not an ordinary mistake or a rough stretch. The question isn't whether you did something wrong. It's whether it was bad enough to throw out everything you'd otherwise be owed. Most of the time, it isn't, and most cause claims fall apart when challenged.
One mistake is almost never cause
A single error, even a costly one, rarely clears the bar. Cause is meant for the worst conduct, usually after clear warnings. Lateness, a bad day, broken equipment, or minor performance issues are things an employer is supposed to manage with warnings, not a fire-with-nothing. If they're calling one slip “cause,” that's usually an opening position, not a solid one.
A failed performance plan is not cause
Missing the targets on a performance improvement plan is a fit problem, not misconduct. If you were genuinely trying and just couldn't hit the goals, that's not the kind of thing that wipes out your severance. Employers sometimes use a plan to build a paper trail toward a cheap exit, but being on one, or failing one, doesn't strip what you're owed.
They can't punish you before they decide
If an employer needs to investigate something, they're generally supposed to keep paying you in the meantime, not cut you off first. Docking your pay or suspending you without pay while they “look into it” can itself be treated as a dismissal. Being judged before the facts are in is backwards, and the law knows it.
A “for cause” label can also block your EI
A cause firing can do double damage. If your Record of Employment says you were let go for cause, it can stall your EI on top of costing you severance. But that's fixable: when the cause claim doesn't hold up, and most don't, the record can usually be corrected so your benefits flow. Don't accept a label that quietly costs you both.
Before you accept a cause firing
Respond in writing to anything you disagree with, so your side is on record, and don't treat the “cause” label as the final word. It's far more often a pressure tactic than a real legal position. Get it checked before you walk away with nothing. The review is free, and we work on contingency.
Our Clients
Mirza Law has earned 4.8 stars on Google, and
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I couldn't be happier with the legal representation I received from Mirza Law. Amir negotiated a significantly higher severance package from what I was initially offered. I’m very grateful for the outcome. He explained every step of the process and was responsive throughout my case.
I highly recommend Amir Mirza if your long-term disability insurance claim was denied and you are considering taking legal action. Amir provided me with several options and explained how the process works very thoroughly. He took the time to answer all of my questions and concerns and always responded in a timely manner. I appreciated his caring approach during a stressful time in my life and never felt pressured to pursue litigation when speaking with him.
Mirza Law was professional, responsive, and easy to work with. The team provided clear guidance throughout the process and made everything straightforward to understand. I appreciated their support and would recommend them to anyone looking for reliable legal assistance.
I can't say enough great things about my experience with this firm. Amir was incredibly helpful and secured a much better settlement than I was initially offered. Couldn't have asked for more. I would definitely recommend Mirza Law.
My wife's long term disability benefits were cut off after two years and the team at Mirza Law helped us to get them back. We were working with Amir who dealt with our insurance company directly. He took the time to explain the whole process and laid out our options so we always understood where things stood.
I reached out to this law firm after being denied by Manulife for my long term disability benefits. Amir is genuinely one of the kindest and caring lawyers I have ever met. He guided me through this very difficult period in my life. I understood each part of the process and never felt rushed.
I couldn't be happier with the legal representation I received from Mirza Law. Amir negotiated a significantly higher severance package from what I was initially offered. I’m very grateful for the outcome. He explained every step of the process and was responsive throughout my case.
I highly recommend Amir Mirza if your long-term disability insurance claim was denied and you are considering taking legal action. Amir provided me with several options and explained how the process works very thoroughly. He took the time to answer all of my questions and concerns and always responded in a timely manner. I appreciated his caring approach during a stressful time in my life and never felt pressured to pursue litigation when speaking with him.
Mirza Law was professional, responsive, and easy to work with. The team provided clear guidance throughout the process and made everything straightforward to understand. I appreciated their support and would recommend them to anyone looking for reliable legal assistance.
I can't say enough great things about my experience with this firm. Amir was incredibly helpful and secured a much better settlement than I was initially offered. Couldn't have asked for more. I would definitely recommend Mirza Law.
My wife's long term disability benefits were cut off after two years and the team at Mirza Law helped us to get them back. We were working with Amir who dealt with our insurance company directly. He took the time to explain the whole process and laid out our options so we always understood where things stood.
I reached out to this law firm after being denied by Manulife for my long term disability benefits. Amir is genuinely one of the kindest and caring lawyers I have ever met. He guided me through this very difficult period in my life. I understood each part of the process and never felt rushed.
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