Background

Nick Milanovic has spent his life advocating for people in Hamilton and around the world.
He was born and raised in Hamilton. His parents, both refugees to Canada, taught him a strong work ethic and a desire to serve others. And so, Nick worked hard and gave to his community. When he was a teenager, he volunteered for the Serbian National Theatre. Later, he played football for the Hamilton Hurricanes, CJFL. When he was in high school, Nick worked full-time nights and weekends and at Camco Inc. so he could go to McMaster.
Nick earned three degrees at McMaster before going to law school where he focussed on social justice law and won several academic prizes. Nick went on to earn a graduate degree in law before beginning his legal practice.
Nick went to Washington, DC, and worked on international legal cases against corporations that were exploiting vulnerable people. He helped bring lawsuits to stop Burmese villagers from being forced into slavery to build an oil pipeline, to stop women from being sexually victimized in Mexican factories, and to help farm labourers in the USA claim compensation for pesticide-related illnesses.
In 1997, Nick came home to Canada where he joined the CUPE legal department to fight on behalf of workers and pursued ground-breaking cases that have improved the lives of tens of thousands of people across the country. He now practices as an arbitrator, mediator, and workplace investigator. He investigates claims of harassment and bullying at work and issues reports that resolve these complaints.
While teaching law at Carleton University, Nick won a national competition that funded his research into protecting workers’ rights during bankruptcy. His study was published in an internationally recognized law journal.