Shafik Bhalloo
Professor of Practice, Strategy
Burnaby
Room: WMC 4391
Phone: 778.782.4523
Curriculum Vitae: View
Credentials
LL.M (Osgoode Hall) 2004; LL.B/JD (UBC) 1989; BA (Honors) (SFU) 1986Biography
Shafik Bhalloo, K.C. is a Professor of Practice in the Undergraduate and Graduate Business Programs.
Shafik teaches commercial law, business ethics and employment law courses. He has a keen interest in student engagement in his courses and tries to bring his real world legal experiences in class to assist students in understanding the subjects he teaches.
Shafik is a three-time recipient of the TD Canada Trust Distinguished Teaching Award, the highest teaching honour at SFU’s Beedie School of Business. In 2024, 2018 and 2013, Shafik was chosen by the Teaching Awards Committee for this honour. The terms of the Award allow a previous winner to be eligible after a 4 year break.
Shafik is also a member of the Law Society of British Columbia and a former partner of Kornfeld LLP (2000 to 2016) and, since May 2016, Associate Counsel with the same firm. Shafik's practice is focused in the areas of corporate commercial litigation, general civil litigation, labour and employment law and Human Right Law.
In 2023, Shafik was appointed King's Counsel. The King's Counsel designation is for exceptional merit and contribution. To be considered for the King’s counsel designation, the potential candidates must be members of the B.C. bar for a minimum of five years. Their nomination is reviewed by an advisory committee, which then makes recommendations to the attorney general. The appointments are made by cabinet through orders in council. Only 7% of practising B.C. lawyers can be awarded the King’s counsel designation at any time.
Born in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, Shafik completed an Honours B.A. at Simon Fraser University and received his law degree from the University of British Columbia in 1989. In 2004, Shafik obtained his Masters of Law degree with a focus on e-Business from Osgoode Hall Law School.
Shafik has acted on litigation of multi-party commercial/corporate and securities cases. He has also prosecuted and defended personal injury claims, fire and casualty claims, breaches of sale of goods, as well as real estate contracts and negligence claims against insurance and real estate companies, agents and brokers.
In his labour and employment practice, Shafik has represented numerous large and small companies in labour relations matters including grievances, collective bargaining, certification applications and employment terminations. He appears before the Labour Relations Board in certification applications and unfair labour practice complaints, and before the Supreme Court of British Columbia on wrongful dismissal matters. Shafik also appears before the Human Rights Tribunal in employment discrimination cases.
Shafik has obtained certification in mediation and has participated as counsel in mediations involving commercial, insurance, labour and employment disputes.
Shafik has lectured on various legal topics including non-competition covenants in business and employment contracts and prepared and presented materials for various business organizations including the Vancouver Board of Trade.
Shafik has also authored and co-authored 25 academic articles in law and ethics journals, some of which are listed below. He is also co-authored the text: Canadian Business Law: A British Columbia Perspective, 2nd Edition, (Toronto: Emond Publishing, 2024).
Shafik also acts as an adjudicator on the Employment Standards Tribunal, an appointment he has held since 2008. He has authored over 400 decisions as a Tribunal member.
He is active in the community and has served as a member on the British Columbia Judicial Advisory Committee, the Vancouver Police Department's Diversity Advisory Committee, and the Conciliation and Arbitration Board of the Ismaili Community.
Shafik has also served, the full 6-year statutory maximum period, as a Director on the West Vancouver Police Board and chaired the Human Resources and Policy and Procedures committees.
Research Interests
Commercial law, Labour and employment law, Human rights law and applied ethics
Selected Publications
articles and reports
Burke, K., & Bhalloo, S. (2022). Of COVID-19 and Chickens: The Ethics of One Workplace Safety Policy Early in the Pandemic. Journal of Business Ethics Education, 19, 247-252. http://doi.org/10.5840/jbee20221915
Bhalloo, S., & Burke, K. M. (2021). Considering the Costs of Signing an NDA: A Case of Workplace Sexual Harassment and Assault. Journal of Business Ethics Education, 18, 261-266. http://doi.org/10.5840/jbee20211814
Burke, K. M., & Bhalloo, S. (2020). "I am in room 523": Sexual harassment in the context of #MeToo and #timesup. Journal of Business Ethics Education, 17. https://www.neilsonjournals.com/JBEE/abstractjbee17room523case.html
Bhalloo, S., & Burke, K. M. (2019). Falsifying Expense Receipts: Everybody Does It! Journal of Business Ethics Education, 16, 213-216. http://doi.org/10.5840/jbee20191611
Bhalloo, S., & Holbrook, H. (2018). Temporary layoff: A comparative study of the law in British Columbia and Alberta. Advocate (Vancouver), 76(3), 361-377.
Burke, K. M., & Bhalloo, S. (2018). A Joint for the joints: The case of (medical) marijuana in the workplace. Journal of Business Ethics Education, 14, 327-330. http://doi.org/10.5840/jbee20171418
Bhalloo, S., & Parmar, A. (2016). Medical marijuana in the workplace - Don't weed out your employees just yet! Advocate (Vancouver), 74(5), 687-696.
Bhalloo, S., & Burke, K. M. (2016). Overworked and underpaid: The plight of one hapless paralegal. Journal of Business Ethics Education, 13, 403-406. http://doi.org/10.5840/jbee20161319
Bhalloo, S. (2016). Restrictive Covenants: When the Honeymoon Ends. Alberta Law Review, 53(3), 643. http://doi.org/10.29173/alr423
Bhalloo, S., & Parmar, A. (2016). Bhasin v. Hrynew: Ramifications in employment law. Advocate (Vancouver), 74(2), 185-196.
Bhalloo, S., & Burke, K. M. (2015). Risky Returns at Zoie B's Apparel. Journal of Business Ethics Education, 12(1), 169-172. http://doi.org/10.4135/9781526460929
Bhalloo, S. (2015). Wolf in Sheep's clothing: Creative Non-Competition covenants. Advocate (Vancouver).
Burke, K. M., & Bhalloo, S. (2015). The Great Canadian Mortgage Company. Journal of Business Ethics Education, 12, 185-188. http://www.neilsonjournals.com/JBEE/abstractjbee12gcmccase1.html
Bhalloo, S., & Parmar, A. (2015). Creative Non-Competition Clauses as Restraints of Trade: Rhebergen v. Veterinary Clinic Ltd. Advocate (Vancouver), 73, 183. Null
Bhalloo, S., & Lucas, D. (2014). Section 96 of the Employment Standards Act: Balancing competing interests. Advocate (Vancouver), 72, 855-864. http://www.the-advocate.ca/emag/issues/2014/november/index.html#/56/
Bhalloo, S., & Lucas, D. (2014). Everything you always wanted to know about suspending an employment standards determination (but were too afraid to ask). Advocate (Vancouver), 72(2), 205-220.
Bhalloo, S. (2012). Reinstatement: The quintessential "make whole" remedy or a fiction. Advocate (Vancouver), 70(6), 845-850.
Bhalloo, S., & Carline, G. (2011). Employers Beware: The myth of temporary layoff may result in a wrongful dismissal liability. Advocate (Vancouver), 69(1), 65-74.
Bhalloo, S. (2010). Enforcement of benefits under the Employment Standards Act: A single jurisdiction for enforcement affirmed. UBC Law Review, 43(1), 145.
Bhalloo, S. (2007). Removing, adding or substituting a party after judgment or a final order pursuant to Rule 15(5) of the Rules of Court: Can it be done and when? Advocate (Vancouver), 65(2), 173-186.
Bhalloo, S. (2006). Notice extension for bad faith dismissal: 'a remedy divorced from the wrong'. Verdict, 110, 52.
Bhalloo, S. (2006). Bad faith damages in wrongful dismissal cases: Post Wallace jurisprudence. Advocate (Vancouver), 64, 337.
Bhalloo, S. (2004). Jurisdictional issues in electronic commerce contracts: A Canadian perspective. Computer Law Review and Technology Journal, VIII(2), 225.
Bhalloo, S. (2004). The curative provision in Section 43(6) of the Personal Property Security Act: How misleading is a 'seriously misleading error'? Advocate (Vancouver), 62, 379.
Bhalloo, S., & Tevlin, M. (1995). Employment contracts: Enforcing non-competition. Advocate (Vancouver), 53, 879.
Related Teaching Material
Bhalloo, S., & Alexander, T. (2024). Canadian Business Law: A British Columbia Perspective, 2nd Edition. Emond Publishing. https://emond.ca/Store/Books/Canadian-Business-Law-British-Columbia-2nd-Edition