Karen Lawrence, CPHR

Experience

• 

  McCarthy & Phillips

  Jul 1984 - Dec 1984

  Legal Secretary
• 

  Training Development Division

  Jan 1985 - Jan 1986

  Clerk-Typist
• 

  Ruben & Kingston LLP

  Mar 1985 - Aug 1985

  Legal Secretary
• 

  1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery

  Sept 1990 - Jun 1992

  Commanding Officer's Secretary

  Under the general direction of the Adjutant, my role provided executive assistance and secretarial support to the Commanding Officer, Deputy Commanding Officer and Adjutant of the Regiment.

• 

  Canadian Forces Network

  Jun 1992 - Jul 1993

  Manager of Administrative Services

  Reporting to the Director of the Canadian Forces Network, a radio and television network for members of the Canadian Forces overseas, my role was responsible for planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling the administration of personnel, financial and physical resources of the unit.

• 

  Leo R. Kelly Professional Corporation

  Sept 1993 - Jun 1996

  Administrative Assistant

  Provided administrative support to Leo R. Kelly's accounting practice.

• 

  Pioneer Property Group Inc.

  Aug 1996 - Aug 1997

  Administrative Assistant

  Reporting to the Property Manager, I provided part-time administrative support to the property management team.

• 

  Jenkins & Jenkins LLP

  Aug 1997 - Mar 2000

  Legal Secretary

  Provided legal assistant support to Doug Jenkins in his law practice.

• 

  The Westaim Corporation

  Mar 2000 - Jul 2002

  Legal Assistant

  Reporting to the Director of Legal Services, my role provided legal assistant support to two in-house counsel as well as the maintenance of the contract database for all subsidiaries of the corporation.

• 

  Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP

  Sept 2002 - Dec 2010

  Reporting to the Director of Human Resources, I successfully managed the human resources information system, the web-based performance management system and provided exceptional confidential support to Edmonton's team of directors by preparing monthly, quarterly and ad hoc reports, coordinating four separate payrolls and supervising a team of up to 12 legal assistants. Additionally, I reported to the Articling Student Committee as the coordinator of law student recruitment and education administration. Accomplishments included: Developing the skill sets of both inexperienced and experienced legal assistants into highly capable and talented support for the firm;Developing excellent problem solving skills to ensure appropriate legal assistant floater coverage for the firm's lawyers at all times;Creating checks and balances to ensure the accuracy and efficiency in the reporting process of the local payroll and HRIS database; andSuccessfully building collaborative relationships at all levels within the firm, external agencies and educational institutions. Show less Reporting to the Director of Human Resources, my team and I provided exceptional legal administrative support and document preparation to Edmonton's 75+ lawyers. My responsibilities involved scheduling, training and supervising the team of highly skilled legal assistants in the department. Accomplishments included:Successfully building a collaborative and cohesive legal word processing team which was comprised of eight employees who worked a variety of shifts during week days, week nights and weekends;Establishing performance standards for all team members; andCreating excellent look-up documentation for new team members to ensure consistent quality of service to Edmonton's lawyers and articling students. Show less

  • Human Resources Coordinator

    Feb 2004 - Dec 2010

  • Supervisor, Word Processing

    Sept 2002 - Feb 2004
• 

  Dentons Canada LLP (formerly Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP)

  Dec 2010 - Jan 2015

  Manager, Human Resources

  Reporting to the Managing Partner, I directed all aspects of the local human resources operations in Edmonton including overseeing several office support departments as well as the legal assistant support for the firm. My responsibilities included recruitment, performance management, total compensation, employee relations and disability management. Accomplishments included: Developing the skill sets of both inexperienced and experienced human resources and administrative staff into highly capable and talented support for the firm;Leading the local participation in the national implementation of a new human resources information system (HRIS); andBuilding highly collaborative relationships at all levels of the organization. Show less

• 

  Columbia Bottle Enterprises Ltd.

  Mar 2015 - Dec 2016

  Human Resources Manager

  Reporting to the Operations Manager, I provide human resources advice to the management team and principal owner on employment standards, human rights, health & safety legislation as well as best practices on recruitment, compensation, disability management and performance management. Accomplishments include: Successfully building collaborative relationships at all levels in the company inclusive of its subsidiary, Signature Distribution (Interior) Inc.;Developing consistent recruitment and on-boarding processes that directly improved the hiring process; andDeveloping and implementing a company health & safety program. Show less

• 

  Chances Casino Kelowna

  Jan 2017 - Aug 2023

  • HR Project Manager

    Mar 2023 - Aug 2023

  • Human Resources Advisor

    Nov 2022 - Feb 2023

  • Human Resources Manager

    Apr 2017 - Nov 2022

  • Human Resources Advisor

    Jan 2017 - Mar 2017
• 

  Regency Retirement Resorts

  Sept 2023 - Sept 2024

  Payroll & Benefits Administrator
• 

  KLawrence HR Inc.

  Oct 2023 - now

  Director

  Helping businesses with their employment relations matters and processes. Specializing in improving on-boarding practices and processes.

• 

  Pushor Mitchell LLP

  Sept 2024 - now

  Human Resources Specialist