Joanne Cave
Principal & Lawyer
J.D., with Distinction
University of Alberta Faculty of Law
M.Sc. in Public Policy
Blavatnik School of Government
University of Oxford
M.Sc. in Comparative Social Policy
Department of Social Policy and Intervention
University of Oxford
B.A. (Hons), with High Distinction
University of Toronto
About Joanne
Joanne Cave practices labour, employment, human rights, administrative, constitutional and nonprofit/charity law based in Edmonton, Alberta.
Prior to starting her own firm, Joanne worked in private practice at a mid-sized regional law firm, as in-house labour/employment legal counsel for a large municipality and as a labour relations officer for a large health care labour union.
She has appeared before the Alberta Court of Justice, Alberta Court of King's Bench, Alberta Human Rights Commission/Tribunal, Alberta Labour Relations Board and numerous labour arbitrators/mediators in Alberta.
Joanne's previous career and graduate studies at the University of Oxford focused on policy analysis, research and evaluation, with a particular interest in issues facing the non-profit and charitable sector in Canada. Joanne has worked for various non-profit organizations and policy thinktanks across Canada, including Homeward Trust Edmonton, Mowat NFP (the non-profit research hub of the Mowat Centre), Alberta Law Reform Institute and the Caledon Institute of Social Policy.
Career Milestones
Founded Cave Law
2025
Supreme Court of Canada
2021 - 2022
Called to the Alberta Bar
2021
Court of Appeal of Alberta
2020 - 2021
Established Cave Law as a boutique law and policy advisory firm
Judicial clerkship in the Chambers of Chief Justice Richard Wagner, P.C.
Admitted to the Law Society of Alberta
Judicial clerkship articles with Justice Ritu Khullar
(prior to her appointment as Chief Justice of Alberta)
​​Professional Associations
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Law Society of Alberta
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Canadian Bar Association
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Alternate Dispute Resolution Institute of Alberta
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Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers​​​​​
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Association of Workplace Investigators
​Professional Development
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Communications in ADR
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National Introductory Mediation Course​​​
Community Involvement
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Member of Board of Directors, Sage Seniors Association (2023 - Present)
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Volunteer Lawyer, Edmonton Community Legal Centre (2022 - Present)
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Application Assessor, Loran Scholars Foundation (2021 - Present)​
Awards
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Rhodes Scholarship - Prairies (2013)
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​Loran Award (2009)​​​
Representative Work
Coalition for Justice and Human Rights v. Edmonton (City), 2024 ABKB 26
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Co-counsel in defence of a constitutional claim regarding the City of Edmonton's approach to encampments
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Edmonton (City) v. Edmonton Fire Fighters' Union IAFF Local 209, 2024 CanLII 124432
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Co-counsel in an interest arbitration regarding monetary and non-monetary bargaining proposals
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Civic Service Union, Local 52 v. Edmonton (City), 2023 CanLII 47342
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Co-counsel in preliminary objections to unfair labour practice complaint before Alberta Labour Relations Board
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Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 569 v. Edmonton (City), 2023 CanLII 16081
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Co-counsel in proposal vote matter before Alberta Labour Relations Board
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Academic Legal Publications
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Joanne Cave, "Remedies Matter: Evaluating the Efficacy of Remedies in Public Law Litigation for Executive Action" (2021) 30 Dal J Leg Stud 1.
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Joanne Cave, “Dialogue and Discretion: Redefining the Alberta Labour Relations Board’s Role in Legislative Development” (2020) 33:3 Can J Admin L & Prac 323.
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Joanne Cave, “Retreating to Justiciability: Drawing a Fine Line Between ‘Legal’ and ‘Moral’ Rights Questions” (2020) 10-2 WJLS 1.
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Joanne Cave, “From Rights Recognition to Reconciliation: Reflecting on the Government of Canada’s Proposed Indigenous Rights Recognition Framework” (2019) 77 U Toronto Fac L Rev 59.
