Sarah Ewart
Labour and Employment Lawyer
| Pronouns | she/her |
| Law School | Thompson Rivers University |
| Hometown | Campbell River |
| When not at work I am | Visiting family on Vancouver Island, watching live theatre, comedy or music, or near the water. |
| Awards | TRU Law Dean’s List (top 10% of each class) |
| Languages | English; French (basic) |
| Ice Cream Flavour | Cookies and Cream |
| If I wasn’t a lawyer I would be | A narrative designer |
| Book Recommendation | “The World According to Garp” – John Irving |
about Sarah
Legal processes can be really complicated. I love simplifying legal information and processes so that everyone can understand them. We all deserve to have meaningful access to justice.
Before going to law school, I worked in online marketing for 10 years. I am an experienced writer and thoughtful communicator. I love learning and understanding people’s stories. Shortly after graduating from law school, I began working with Sara Forte on a project called Not Your Average Law Job™ . For the project, I interviewed and wrote profiles on lawyers who have taken non-traditional career paths and found happiness in their jobs. My ability to connect, build trust and create a comfortable environment for people combined with my creativity helped me excel in this job. I feel extremely lucky to continue my work with Sara and Forte Workplace Law first, as the firm’s first articled student, and now as a labour and employment lawyer.
I grew up in Campbell River, BC and lived most of my life on Vancouver Island. I received a diploma in Applied Communication from Camosun College in Victoria and years later went on to complete a degree in Justice Studies at Royal Roads University. While completing my degree, I began working as a Court Clerk. Watching the lawyers I admired support their clients through difficult times and help them to be heard and understood was what inspired me to apply to law school.
During law school, I worked as a Research Assistant on several projects, including the National Self-Represented Litigants Project. Through years of research into the practical needs of people representing themselves in court, the project develops resources to help them navigate these difficult and intimidating processes.
When not at work, I spend as much time as possible with my family on Vancouver Island. I love live theatre, comedy and music and try to fit a mid-week pub trivia night in as often as I can. On a sunny day, you’ll find me reading on my deck, running in a park or swimming. On a rainy day, I’ll be inside reading or playing a new video game.
client reviews
I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation for the exceptional job you did in negotiating the termination clause and explaining what the termination letter and legal release actually meant. Your expertise and professionalism were truly outstanding, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Here are a few specific points that really stood out to me:
1. In-depth Knowledge: Your deep understanding of the legal intricacies involved in drafting the response to negotiate was very efficient and to the point.
2. Effective Communication: Your ability to explain complex legal concepts in a way that was easy to understand was invaluable.
3. Negotiation Skills: You were able to secure terms that were not only legally sound but also fair and favourable to my interests.
4. Client-Centric Approach: It was clear that you had my best interests at heart. Your commitment to protecting my rights while fostering a positive relationship with my current employer is commendable.
Overall, your contribution was instrumental in achieving an agreement that provides me with peace of mind. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend your services to others in need of legal counsel.
– S.Q
I worked with Sarah and Jessica at Forte Law; they guided me through a challenging situation with a former employer. Both are empathetic, thorough, and equally important, knowledgeable about all aspects of employment law and the mediation process.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.
– Annette M.
I would like to complement and recommend Forte Law’s Catalina Rodriguez and Sarah Ewart for successfully concluding a contentious labour matter for my company. They have dispelled the myth that you have to go to downtown Vancouver to find good legal help. I was pleased to find this conveniently located White Rock law firm that was able to provide me with professional, competent, and friendly service.
– Russ C.
A friend recommended Forte Law and I knew immediately upon meeting with Jessica Forman and Sarah Ewart that I would be in good hands. They were able to provide much needed clarity, guidance, and emotional distance. They also were able to generate an action plan and lay out the responses and steps that I could anticipate along the way – which led to a successful resolution of the issue during a very emotionally charged time (with very little effort on my part). I am quite confident that engaging Forte Law made for a much more pleasant and efficient process. I would not hesitate to recommend Jessica and Sarah to anyone in a similar situation.
– Anonymous
I worked with Sarah and Jim at Forte Law for an employment case and they were fantastic. One thing I wanted to mention about working with them that was different from the other lawyers I spoke with, is their initial fees cover a game plan and help with drafting your response to your employer which the other lawyers mainly just gave advice for their fees. This made a huge difference and allowed my case to get resolved affordably, favorably and quickly. I also very much appreciated that they were nice people that empathized with the stress of what I was going through. 5 stars! I would sincerely recommend working with them.
– Jared H.
Sarah in the news
Jumbo shrimp, silent scream, happy lawyer? | Lawyers Financial
Publications
CBA British Columbia – Mentorship Matters (cbabc.org)
CBA National – Happy lawyers (five things they have in common)