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Andrea Sobko

Andrea Sobko

Lawyer

Biography

Andrea Sobko is a passionate advocate for fairness, equity, and human rights in the workplace, firmly believing that unions play a crucial role in enhancing the economic security of all workers. Andrea takes a strategic approach to assisting clients in the areas of labour law, pay equity, human rights, and employment law.

In her labour practice, Andrea represents trade unions on a wide range of issues, including human rights, workplace accommodation, job classification, and disciplinary issues, to name a few. Whether negotiating settlements or litigating grievances, she approaches each case with attention to detail, empathy, and a deep understanding of her clients’ needs. Andrea prioritizes a trauma-informed perspective, recognizing that many workers come to her with past experiences that may shape their interactions with the legal system.

As a pay equity lawyer, Andrea champions the rights of union members and individual employees in ensuring their compensation is free from gender-based discrimination. She has successfully provided pay equity advice and representation to nurses, midwives, personal support workers, social workers, dietary aides, and other workers who are integral to the care economy. Andrea regularly assists clients in negotiating pay equity plans, developing gender-neutral job evaluation tools, and litigating cases under provincial and federal pay equity laws or collective agreements.

Beyond her domestic legal practice, Andrea has worked as a legal researcher on a range of international human rights law and international criminal law projects. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR) and volunteers with the International Lawyers Assisting Workers Network (ILAW), focussing on gender justice issues.

Before her legal career, Andrea spent nearly a decade with the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN), a non-profit organization founded by Ontario’s Chief Justices, where she developed community-based justice education programs and accessible legal resources for educators across the province. Growing up in a single-parent family in rural Ontario instilled in her a strong commitment to access to justice and equity issues. A first-generation lawyer, Andrea completed her Juris Doctor at Osgoode Hall Law School, alongside a Bachelor of Education and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Toronto.