Death of Raynold Langlois, Founding Partner of Langlois Kronström Desjardins

Montréal, Quebec, October 29^th, 2014 – It is with great sadness that Langlois Kronström Desjardins (LKD) announces the death of our founding partner. Raynold Langlois died surrounded by his loved ones on October 29^th in Nuns’ Island at the age of 73.

“Mr. Langlois was a devoted family man and a person who inspired everyone who had the privilege of crossing his path. He had a big heart and a keen mind, and was an exceptional man whom we will all miss. He was highly regarded as a lawyer and advocate and an exemplary professional and mentor who enjoyed the esteem of both bar and bench, as well as of his clients. He contributed to advances in many areas of the law, through his outstanding involvement in and commitment to the practice of law,” said Chantal Chatelain, the partner in charge of the Montréal office.

Mr. Langlois had the courage and determination in his early days in practice, in spite of his youth and difficult economic times at the start of his career, to transform a small law partnership that was left to him by his father into what is now a firm that is known across Quebec and Canada. Mr. Langlois played a key role in ensuring that LKD was composed of a strong and respected team, particularly in its litigation practice, while at the same time creating a pleasant professional environment for his colleagues.

Mr. Langlois will be sadly missed by his wife Mrs. Céline Garneau, his five children, his ten grandchildren, of whom he was immensely proud, and his many friends. He also leaves over 200 colleagues for whom his strong ethics, his professionalism and his unequalled generosity with his time made him a true role model. He was an outstanding member of the legal profession who contributed to the development both of the law and of the profession, in Quebec and in Canada.

The team and employees of the firm all express our condolences to the family of Mr. Langlois and share their sorrow at the loss of an exceptional man who will be missed by us all.

An influential lawyer

Mr. Langlois graduated from the Faculty of Law at Laval University in 1963, and recently was proud to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of his call to the Bar. He played a leadership role in a range of practice fields, appearing before every level of the courts and tribunals at both the Quebec and the federal level.

Starting early in his career, he appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada in over 40 cases that were as diverse as they were important. From the early 1960s until very recently, he argued numerous appeals that raised issues relating to commercial law, communication and telecommunication law, access to information and privacy, constitutional law and the division of powers, the independence of the judiciary, maritime law, and consumer law, among other areas.

Noteworthy examples

Mr. Langlois was involved in a variety of major cases. He represented governments and corporations before regulatory authorities like the CRTC, the Canadian Transportation Agency and the National Energy Board. He also represented governments and corporations before both trial and appellate courts, including the Federal Courts and the Supreme Court of Canada, in constitutional, administrative and commercial law cases.

His great skill and his expertise won him many victories, arguing unique cases such as when he represented the federal government in one of the toughest product liability cases in North America: urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI). He also represented the Attorney General of Canada in the Patriation and Quebec Veto constitutional references. As well, he was involved in the case before the Supreme Court of Canada in 2008 relating to the $51.7 billion privatization proposed by BCE Inc., one of the largest leveraged buyouts the planet had seen.

In February 2014, he presented his last case in front of the Supreme Court of Canada, Marcotte v The Federation des Caisses Desjardins du Québec, a class action lawsuit that disputed the legality of the way conversion rates were applied to credit card purchases made abroad. After more than 11 years of litigation, the Supreme Court agreed with the arguments put forth by Mr. Langlois and concluded that the practices of his client were consistent with the law.

Mr. Langlois was also known as a savvy strategist when it came both to political and business matters and to ethics and governance. He was the advisor of choice for many men and women in both politics and business.

Clearly, his unparalleled professional career is noteworthy for the diversity, scope and complexity of the cases on which he advised and in which he represented his clients. The cases in which Mr. Langlois was counsel and the judgments given in those cases have had enormous influence on the lives of litigants across Canada.

Professional activities and honours

Mr. Langlois’ career earned him wide recognition among his peers and in the legal community at large. He received numerous awards and distinctions throughout his career, some more than once. They include: Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, The Best Lawyers^® in Canada, Benchmark Litigation, The Canadian Legal Lexpert^® Directory, recipient of the Lexpert^® Zenith Award for his leadership in the profession, the distinction of “Avocat Émérite” (Avocatus Emeritus) from the Québec Bar, and more recently, the Prix Justitia from Laval University.

Professional contributions

Mr. Langlois was very active within the legal community and contributed to the development and expansion of a number of projects: 

• In 2010, along with others from his graduating year, to took part in creating a fund called “Promotion de droit 1963 – Démocratie et institutions parlementaires”, to interest the next generation of the profession in issues relating to ethics and the governance of public institutions; 
• He played the role of judge in the “Coupe du Doyen” moot court competition on several occasions, and gave presentations at the Laval University Faculty of Law on subjects of interest to students.

One of his greatest contributions was the fact that he advised, trained and coached many young colleagues in their careers and passed on his passion and strong sense of professionalism to them.

“Giving of your time, listening and being effective are the cornerstones of the work we do.”
– Raynold Langlois

Information about the memorial ceremony

All of the details about the funeral of Raynold Langlois can be found at the following page: langlois.ca/rlanglois.

About Langlois Kronström Desjardins

Langlois Kronström Desjardins (lkd.ca) is one of the largest law firms in Quebec, with nearly 100 professionals working in the Montréal and Quebec City metropolitan areas. Our team of over 200 employees offers a complete range of highly regarded legal services in civil and commercial litigation, governance and ethics, labour and employment law, administrative law, maritime law, public law, real estate, and business law.

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Information:
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