Our Team
Erika Verret
Founder/Owner
Lead Workplace Investigator
Jandre Ljubicic
Employment Lawyer
Jean-Michel Fréchette
Lawyer, Mediator & Investigator
Wanda Shreve
Employment & Labour Lawyer
Michelle Bird
Workplace Investigator
Andrea Lowes
Workplace Investigator
Rumina Ratansi
HR Consultant
Emma Scherer
HR Consultant
Andrea Kedves
HR Consultant
Elizabeth Sonderskov
Operations Manager
Palmina Pitruzzella
Administrative Specialist
Erika Verret
With over 20 years combined in human resource management (CHRL) and employment law experience, Erika brings a practical approach to client matters.
Erika is the founder of Bridge Legal & HR Solutions. With her extensive experience, Erika is equipped to address your HR & employment law needs with a unique perspective. Focusing on impartial, third-party workplace investigations, Erika has conducted numerous investigations throughout her career, both as an internal investigator and an external investigator, across Canada. These investigations have included harassment, bullying, sexual harassment, toxic or poisoned work environment, discrimination, and many more across various industries (union and non-union).
Erika is a member and Certificate Holder of the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI), as well as its Canadian chapter (CAWI) which is a not-for-profit organization focused on enhancing the quality of workplace investigations internationally. Erika continuously educates herself on investigation best practices, and takes a trauma-informed approach to ensure high quality, thorough and timely investigations.
You can learn more about our founder Erika's journey here.
Jandre Ljubicic
Jandre provides superior customer service and tailored solutions suitable for the unique needs of each client.
Jandre is an employment lawyer at Bridge Legal & HR Solutions. With background in philosophy and law, Jandre approaches his work with a keen eye for detail. His focus is on providing comprehensive and timely advice to employers for every stage of the employment relationship. Whether you are looking for advice on employment contracts, human resource policies, human rights, occupational health & safety, or accessibility matters, Jandre is available to provide effective and exceptional client service.
To better serve your needs, Jandre is fluent in both English and Serbian/Croatian.
Jean-Michel Fréchette
Jean-Michel works in association with Bridge Legal & HR Solutions as a fully bilingual mediator, workplace investigator, and litigation lawyer.
Jean-Michel practices in employment and labour law, insurance law, commercial litigation, civil liability, and construction law. He assists parties in resolving disputes through mediation, conducts independent workplace investigations, and advocates before the courts to advance or defend his clients' interests.
For over a decade, Jean-Michel has successfully represented clients before various provincial courts across Canada, the British Columbia Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Canada, and numerous administrative tribunals. With extensive experience serving both plaintiffs and defendants across multiple areas of law, Jean-Michel has a deep understanding of the issues and concerns that weigh on the minds of employers. This insight makes him particularly effective in his roles a mediator and investigator.
Jean-Michel is known for his strong emotional intelligence, which allows him to connect with clients and stakeholders with empathy, clarity, and purpose. Outside of work, he is passionate about soccer, scuba diving, and travel – pursuits that reflect his curiosity, discipline, and appreciation for diverse perspectives and cultures.
Jean-Michel collabore avec Bridge Legal & HR Solutions en tant que médiateur, enquêteur en milieu de travail et avocat en litige parfaitement bilingue.
Jean-Michel exerce dans les domaines du droit de l'emploi et du travail, du droit des assurances, du litige commercial, de la responsabilité civile et du droit de la construction. Il aide les parties à résoudre leurs différends par la médiation, mène des enquêtes indépendantes en milieu de travail et défend les intérêts de ses clients devant les tribunaux.
Depuis plus de dix ans, Jean-Michel représente avec succès des clients devant diverses cours provinciales à travers le Canada, la Cour d'appel de la Colombie-Britannique, la Cour fédérale du Canada et de nombreux tribunaux administratifs.
Grâce à sa vaste expérience auprès des demandeurs et des défendeurs dans de multiples domaines du droit, Jean-Michel comprend parfaitement les enjeux et les préoccupations des employeurs. Cette perspicacité le rend particulièrement efficace dans ses rôles de médiateur et d'enquêteur.
Reconnu pour sa grande intelligence émotionnelle, Jean-Michel établit des liens authentiques avec ses clients et les parties prenantes, avec empathie, clarté et détermination. En dehors du travail, il est passionné de football (soccer), de plongée sous-marine et de voyages – des activités qui reflètent sa curiosité, sa discipline et son appréciation des perspectives et des cultures diverses.
Wanda Shreve
Wanda brings over 20 years of experience in employment and labour law, helping clients navigate challenges with her steady, solution-focused approach.
Wanda is an experienced employment and labour lawyer who supports small and mid-sized businesses with clear, practical advice on workplace law, compliance, and HR issues. With over 20 years of experience, she helps clients navigate challenges like employee terminations, policy development, investigations, and regulatory obligations. Wanda is known for her steady, solutions-focused approach and her ability to simplify complex legal matters so business owners can make confident decisions.
Michelle Bird
Michelle brings over a decade of experience providing expert services. Michelle maintains an unbiased and open-minded perspective to all circumstances.
Michelle is an experienced workplace investigator, trainer, and workplace consultant. She began her career at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal, where she articled in the Tribunal Counsel Office. She then spent eight years as an investigator and legal counsel for the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman, undertaking high-profile regulatory investigations.
Michelle then further enhanced her career in a growing Toronto-based firm where she conducted investigations into bullying, sexual harassment and code of conduct violations and acted as a Team Lead. Michelle continues to provide expert workplace investigation services, assessments, and training sessions on mitigating bias, workplace civility, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) best practices. Michelle holds a master's degree in counselling psychology and plans to incorporate counselling techniques to address workplace stress.
Rumina Ratansi
Rumina is an Executive HR Consultant, Business and Leadership Coach, Change Strategist and DEI Advisor.
Rumina is a seasoned Executive and Human Resources veteran with 25+ years of industry experience ranging in public, private and not for profit sectors, along with start-up initiatives. With a passion for entrepreneurship and supporting leaders and individuals to realize their own potential, Rumina has developed a successful practice in the areas of HR Consultation and strategy development, HR setup, DEI practices, culture transformation and change management, organizational design, leadership and team development, performance and succession management, talent acquisition, leadership coaching, career development and employee engagement.
She has vast exposure in the following industries: Technology/Tech Software, Healthcare, Pension, Legal, Telecommunications, Government Services, Financial Services, Professional Services, Aviation/Airline, Academic/Education, Hotel/Hospitality, Mining, Real Estate Brokerage / Mortgage Brokerage, Food & Beverage/CPG, Manufacturing, Advertising, Film and Broadcasting, Media Post-Production, Farming / Agricultural and Charity / Giving.
Rumina has her CHRL professional designation. She is also certified as a Change Management Leader & Agent and Business Executive Coach. She is trained and experienced in Advanced HR Employment Law, Dispute Resolution & Mediation, and Workplace Investigations. Rumina is also a Certified Lego Serious Play Change Facilitator where she engages in creative solutions through innovation, dialogue and play. Rumina also has strong knowledge in agile scrum methodologies.
Rumina has served on many boards over the past 20 years and has also participated on many HR Expert panels to provide professional advice, guidance and mentorship. She was known as one of the recognized Speaker Coaches for TEDxDonmills.
Emma Scherer
Emma is a dynamic and experienced Human Resources Consultant with a proven track record in various HR domains.
Specializing in management coaching, consulting, employment law, employee relations, and internal investigations, Emma brings a wealth of expertise to every project she undertakes. Her passion lies in helping companies navigate through periods of growth and change, where she excels at building trust and fostering positive relationships with employees at all levels. Additionally, she possesses a unique ability to provide valuable guidance and influence managers when necessary. Emma's client-centric approach ensures that she consistently delivers tailored solutions that address the specific needs of her clients.
Emma's extensive experience spans a range of critical HR initiatives. She has successfully led organizational structure transformations, streamlining corporate policies and procedures, analyzing health benefit offerings, and effectively training both line managers and employees in utilizing HR and time management systems. Moreover, Emma is adept at designing and implementing programs to enhance employee engagement, develop strong leadership skills, facilitate seamless new hire orientations, ensure compliance, and formulate effective recruiting strategies. Throughout these endeavors, she has honed her project management skills, ensuring projects are executed efficiently and effectively.
Emma's clients appreciate her reliability, strategic thinking, and practical approach to HR challenges. Her passion for making a positive impact on organizations and individuals drives her to consistently exceed expectations and deliver exceptional results. Whether it is helping a company build a strong and cohesive team, navigating complex legal matters, or implementing HR best practices, Emma's expertise and client-centric mindset make her an invaluable asset to any organization she partners with.
Andrea Lowes
Andrea conducts independent external workplace investigations into allegations of harassment, sexual harassment, fraud, privacy breaches, and other misconduct.
Andrea's approach to all parties and witnesses is fair and trauma-informed. She builds rapport and ensures that each investigation is conducted with transparency, confidentiality, and respect. Andrea produces defensible reports that clearly set out the evidence, detailed fact-finding, and analysis.
Andrea has extensive investigations experience in private practice, government oversight, and self-regulated professions. Her diverse professional background provides her with the skills necessary to address concerns ranging from the most straightforward, to those involving multiple parties and complex and sensitive issues.
Andrea Kedves
Andrea is an experienced and highly adaptable Human Resources professional.
Having worked in the Fintech, Clean Energy, and IT industries, Andrea has a wide range of expertise working with large corporations and in start-up environments. With a true passion for HR and helping others, Andrea brings a creative approach to employee experiences, talent acquisition, and policy development to ensure organizational success. As a member of multiple people-focused groups, she is excited about the advancements in HR and looks forward to more dedicated people-centric approaches for the future of work.
Elizabeth Sonderskov
Elizabeth is Bridge Legal & HR Solutions' Operations Manager and Law Clerk. Elizabeth brings over thirty years of experience, both as an office manager and as a litigation clerk.
Elizabeth is an experienced law clerk, having worked in several legal environments, for both plaintiff and defence, throughout her career. She also has been the office manager of a construction business for over thirty years. Elizabeth provides clerking support to our professionals, while managing all aspects of our Team and keeping us organized.
Palmina Pitruzzella
Palmina is Bridge Legal & HR Solutions' Administrative Specialist and provides a wide range of support with a natural ability to execute multiple competing priorities for the firm.
Palmina has over 20 years of national and international progressive administrative and operational experience for both government and non-government agencies. Palmina is fluent in English and Italian.