Ian Johncox

Ian practices in the areas of employment law, occupier liability defence, franchise litigation and contract litigation. Ian is a trained mediator and conducts mediations in a wide range of civil (non-family) cases.

His employment law practice includes acting for employers and employees, which gives him a balanced perspective to his clients’ issues.

Employer clients look to Ian for employment contracts, personnel policies, advice on disciplining employees, preparing severance packages, defending wrongful dismissal lawsuits, advice on employers’ statutory obligations and human rights advice. Ian assists employees in negotiating employment contracts and obtaining fair severance packages.

Ian’s litigation practice includes commercial landlord and tenant litigation, real estate litigation, franchise litigation and other contract litigation.

He often acts for landlords defending occupier liability (e.g. slip and fall) claims.

Ian believes that “Prevention is the Best Medicine”. He urges his clients to implement policies, procedures, safeguards and sound written agreements to reduce both the risk of litigation before it happens and the extent of litigation when it is unavoidable. Ian is a practical problem solver. He realizes that litigation is expensive, time-consuming and inconvenient and uses every tool at his disposal to resolve your dispute efficiently.

As a trained mediator, Ian conducts mediations through EPOCH Mediation.  

For many years, Ian wrote newspaper columns for local publications. His column, Your Business and the Law, appeared monthly in the Durham Business Times from 1999 to 2009 and his legal editorial column, Legal Briefs, appeared weekly in Kawartha Lakes This Week from 2000 to 2007.

Ian was the President of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce (2001-2002), serving on the Chamber's Board of Directors from 1999 to 2004. He sat on the Board of Directors for the Durham College Educational Network from 2004 to 2009. Ian is also a former President of the Durham Community Legal Clinic and Vice-President of the Credit Counselling Service of Durham Region.

Currently, Ian is a member of the Whitby Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, the Scugog Chamber of Commerce, the Durham Region Law Association, the Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, and the Advocates' Society and the ADR Institute of Ontario.

Ian received his Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) and his Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Western Ontario in 1991 and 1994, respectively. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996 and has practiced in Durham Region since that time.

"Sound legal advice is indispensable for our family-owned business.

We face ever-growing, injurious liability cases which not only consume a lot of our valuable time, but also threaten our reputation and character. Mason Bennett Johncox understands and respects our decision to challenge these cases. Their ability to effortlessly navigate through my multi-faceted reactions to some of these cases requires a unique talent.

I actually look forward to reviewing pages of legal correspondence destined for opposing counsel. It makes my day. These responses are brilliantly composed, containing not only the anticipated review of facts, but are also sprinkled with relevant personalized side-notes."

- Erika