After losing your job, it might seem like a good idea to run your severance offer through ChatGPT, Gemini or another artificial intelligence (AI) tool to ensure you’re getting the compensation you’re owed.
This is what one of my recent clients, a senior sales manager in Toronto, decided to do. However, each AI tool he used gave him a different answer—leaving him frustrated and confused.
With his confidence in the technology shaken, the manager’s family encouraged him to contact an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP. He was shocked when I informed him that the AI tools failed to spot thousands of dollars missing from his severance package.
Following a brief conversation with my client’s employer, I was able to secure the compensation he was legally entitled to without getting the courts involved.
READ MORE: Tech exec’s severance victory: Turning termination into triumph
While AI tools are becoming increasingly accessible, they can make serious mistakes when it comes to severance disputes and other workplace issues.
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Here are three reasons why Canadians are better off trusting a real legal professional, rather than AI.
1. We know how to properly calculate and negotiate severance pay
In Canada, severance for non-unionized employees can be as much as 24 months’ pay.
However, determining the correct amount of compensation that an individual is owed is no simple feat. A variety of factors need to be taken into consideration, some of which are unique to your situation—making it extremely unlikely that AI tools would be able to properly calculate your entitlements, or identify when negotiations are required.
READ MORE: 6 common employer mistakes that could lead to a bigger payout after termination
Just like the senior sales manager, your best course of action is to have your severance offer reviewed by an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.
If you were fired without severance pay, you should still reach out to my firm. We regularly resolve wrongful dismissal claims and can help you secure every cent of compensation you deserve.
2. We know the law and how to apply it
Another major issue is that AI tools often confuse employment laws across jurisdictions—making their proposed “legal strategy” to securing full severance pay a gamble.
Don’t leave your financial well-being to chance. The wrong legal strategy could undermine your severance claim and potentially give your employer the upper hand in negotiations.
READ MORE: 5 things employees should never do before talking to an employment lawyer
3. We have a legal duty to be correct, AI doesn’t
In addition to mixing up employment laws, certain AI tools are known to “hallucinate”—confidently generating fictional legal content that supports the user’s case. This has already spelled disaster for individuals in Ontario and British Columbia.
Hoping that AI won’t hallucinate when providing you with severance advice simply isn’t worth the risk. The technology can’t be held accountable if things go wrong with your legal claim, leaving you to deal with the fallout.
You only get one shot to do this right—that’s why you should contact the experienced employment law team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP. We’ve structured our fees to be as transparent, fair and accessible as possible.
Since 2007, my firm and I have helped tens of thousands of non-unionized individuals across Canada secure the compensation they’re legally entitled to—not a dollar less.
READ MORE: 5 of the most common work situations where getting an employment lawyer can help
Fired? Lost your job? Boss pressuring you to accept a severance offer immediately?
Contact the firm or call 1-855-821-5900 for a consultation with an employment lawyer. Get the advice you need and the compensation you deserve.
Lior Samfiru is an employment lawyer and co-founding partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, Canada’s most positively reviewed law firm specializing in employment law and long-term disability claims. He provides legal insight on Canada’s only Employment Law Show on TV and radio.