William D. Hart

Lawyer, Partner

Québec Bar 1979

T +1 514 282 7820

William D. Hart

Lawyer, Partner

William Hart practices in the area of corporate and commercial law in the Montréal office of Langlois Lawyers. He is head of the firm’s France-Québec practice group, an experienced team that provides business solutions adapted to the needs of French companies seeking to establish themselves in Quebec.

His background in management and his experience as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of a large Quebec-based public company for several years allow him to better understand and advise large clients, including several well-known French companies.

William has a diversified practice with a concentration in mergers and acquisitions. He also works regularly in the area of compensation agreements for senior executives in change-of-control situations, and in this regard has been involved in some of the most important acquisitions over the last few years in Quebec.

These areas of practice have also allowed William to develop a deep understanding of corporate governance issues, on which he regularly advises his clients.

Representative Work

Mergers & Acquisitions
Acts on behalf of several major French companies in their acquisitions or legal affairs in Quebec, including Adecco, Somfy, Moulage Plastique de l’Ouest, Euralis, La Brosse & Dupont, Hérige (formerly VM Matériaux), Alsace Lait, Groupe Bolloré (Blue Solutions and Bolloré Logistiques), Laboratoires Lehning, Accor Canada, Riou Glass, Groupe Alvest, Groupe APY, Solina Group and Camera One.

Compensation of senior management in change-of-control situations
Frequently acts on behalf of senior executives in their employment and equity incentive arrangements in the context of acquisitions of large companies such as Yellow Pages, Bombardier Recreational Products, CCM/The Hockey Company, Teleglobe, GUESS Canada, Van Houtte and Air Canada Technical Services (AVEOS).

Publications

Articles

2020 – New investment opportunities for French and other foreign investors in Quebec
2015 – CETA: the Government Procurement (GP) Chapter
2015 – CETA: Hurry Up and Wait … But be Ready!
2015 – 2015 Trends | France-Quebec

Nouvelles

2018 – William D. Hart Named Chairman of the Board of Directors of CIC Capital Canada Inc. and CIC Capital Ventures Inc.

Other Publications

2012 – Contributor: “Legal Aspects of Doing Business in North America” (Quebec Section), Release 1 – 2012, Juris Publishing, Huntington, New York, 2012, p. QU-1

Events

External Conferences

2021 – Panel on access to public markets for French companies proposed by Langlois in collaboration with the French CCI in Canada

Other Events

2020 − « Doing Business in Quebec, opening a door into North America : The Law in Quebec and the Business Lawyer’s Role – Conference presented to French companies seeking to Establish Themselves in Canada », with Guillaume François Larouche, National Bank Financial, Montréal

2011 – “Corporate Governance in Canada and in France” (Workshop Luncheon – French Chamber of Commerce in Canada)

2007 – “Free Trade in North America: Myth or Reality?” (North America Forum of the French Industrial Club (NAFIC) – How to stay competitive in North America).

2006 – “Selling and Distributing Products and Services in Canada” (Ubifrance Conference on NAFTA, Paris).

2005 – “NAFTA – A few observations and comments ten years later (Forum on French investments in Canada organized by the Canadian Embassy and the Quebec Delegation in Paris)”.

2004 – “Remuneration of CEO and Members of Board of Directors” (Federated Press).

Professional Associations

Since 2021 – Honorary President and Honorary Member of the Board of Directors of the French Chamber of Commerce in Canada (CCIFC)

Since 2018 – Chairman of the Board of Directors of CIC Capital Canada Inc. and CIC Capital Ventures Inc. (subsidiaries of the French-based Crédit Mutuel Equity)

Since 2018 – Member of the East Montreal Chamber of Commerce (CCEM)

2017-2018 – President of the French Chamber of Commerce in Canada (CCIFC)

1998-2009 and subsequently from 2017 to 2019 – Member of the Executive Committee of the French Chamber of Commerce in Canada (CCIFC)

2004-2008 – President of the French Chamber of Commerce in Canada (CCIFC) (Member of Board of Directors from 1996 to 2021)

2004-2010 – Co-founder of the Forum for Venture Capital and Private Equity of the French Chamber of Commerce in Canada

2004-2007 – Member of the Executive Committee of the Union of French Chambers of Commerce and Industry Abroad (UCCIFE), Paris, France

1997-2020 – President of the Association of Essec Business School Graduates in Canada

Since 1993 – Canadian Bar Association

Since 1993 – Jury Member – International Admission Center for French Management Studies

Education

1978 – Bachelor of Civil Law, B.C.L., McGill University (Member of Editorial Board of McGill Law Journal)

1977 – Bachelor of Common Law, LL.B., McGill University (University Bursary; Wainwright Essay Prize)

1974 – Graduate of École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales (ESSEC) Paris, France, Recipient of bursary from French government

1970 – B.A. Economics, University of Saskatchewan

Rankings & Recognitions

Areas of Practice

Industries

Teams

France-Canada

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