Senior Counsel
Member of the Quebec Bar since 1976, Sylvain Deslauriers stands out for his diverse practice and sustained involvement in professional, academic, and institutional circles. He is a graduate of the University of Ottawa (Bachelor of Arts) and the University of Sherbrooke (LL.B.). In addition, he has completed specialized training, including conflict resolution training at Harvard University.
Thanks to the variety of his mandates, Mtre. Deslauriers has acquired solid knowledge in several areas of law, such as commercial, civil, regulatory, disciplinary, and estate law, among many others. A respected litigator, his practice has led him to defend his clients' rights before all levels of court, including the Court of Appeal of Quebec, the Federal Court of Appeal of Canada, and the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as before public bodies. He has served as Deputy Attorney General of Quebec.
He has acted as defense counsel in several class actions, some of which have resulted in landmark judgments. He has advised and guided companies through financial crises, either to restructure their finances or to use insolvency tools.
As legal counsel in contractual matters, Mtre. Deslauriers has been entrusted with several mandates involving financing, public-private partnerships for infrastructure projects, construction projects, business sales or acquisitions, and the establishment of secured debt. Mandated by higher education institutions, he has, among other things, advised them on their internal and disciplinary regulations.
Mtre. Deslauriers has acted as an arbitrator in disputes of various kinds. He was chair of the Arbitration Committee established under the National Energy Act (now the Act respecting the Régie de l'énergie). He has assisted clients, both here and abroad, in seeking alternative dispute resolution methods.
Mtre. Deslauriers has been mandated to conduct several investigations into internal corporate matters.
He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Young Bar Association of Montreal, then secretary of the Montreal Bar Association and administrator of the Quebec Bar Association; he was also a member of the disciplinary committee and appointed as arbitrator of accounts.
He has taught negotiation and trial preparation at the Barreau du Québec and has given lectures here and abroad on consumer law, letters of credit, and securities. He has taught at the Faculty of Law at the University of Sherbrooke.
Mtre. Deslauriers devotes time to serving non-profit organizations. He received a Certificate of Recognition on the occasion of the International Year of Volunteers. He has served on boards of directors, including Villa Ste-Marcelline (which he chaired), the Villa Ste-Marcelline Foundation, and the Quebec Pulmonary Association. He was actively involved in the founding of the Regroupement des organismes bénéficiaires de bingo (Association of Bingo Beneficiary Organizations), for which he drafted the charter.
And to round out his multidisciplinary background, Mtre. Deslauriers holds a boating license and is a farmer and forestry producer.
