Renée-Maude Vachon

 Partner
Key practice areas
Insurance and Reinsurance, Construction and Infrastructure Law, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Professional Liability, Product Liability and Consumer Protection
Québec Bar 2008
Québec City
+1 418 650 7042
renee-maude.vachon@langlois.ca
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Renée-Maude Vachon focuses her practice on civil and professional liability, primarily in the fields of real estate and construction.

She gives clients strategic advice in conflict situations ahead of litigation and represents them before all levels of civil court if the dispute is taken to court.  She is known for her pragmatism and efficiency, and tailors her approach to each client’s needs.

She sits on the Bar of Québec City's Board of Directors and is active in the community, particularly in the areas of education and immigration. Within the firm, she is co-head of the litigation group.

Renée-Maude practises law in English and in French.

  • Successfully represented professionals sued for liability while they carried out their contract.
  • Successfully represented contractors and professionals in construction and real estate disputes (design defects, malfeasance, breach of contract).
  • Represents insurance companies in matters related to coverage.
  • Regularly acts in litigation matters involving personal injury.
  • Regularly acts in litigation matters involving fire or major disasters.
  • Regularly acts in litigation matters involving conventional and legal guarantees.
  • Benchmark Litigation Canada:
    • Litigation Star, 2025
    • Future Star, 2023-2024
    • 40 & Under List, 2023-2024

Memberships

  • Bar of Québec City:
    • Advisor to the Board of Directors, since 2023
    • Member of the Training Committee, since 2023
    • Member of the Liaison Committee with the Court of Québec, 2014-2015 and since 2022
    • Member of the Illegal Practice of Law Committee, 2017-2019
    • Member of the Work-Life Balance Committee, 2013-2014
    • Member of the Services to the Public Committee, 2012-2013
  • The Advocates' Society, Member, since 2021
  • Young Bar of Québec City:
    • Second Vice-President, 2014-2015
    • Member of the Board of Directors, 2012-2015
  • Québec City Association of Insurance Women, Member, 2008-2010

Community involvement

  • Université Laval, Member of the Discipline Committee, since 2016
  • Le Mieux-Être des Immigrants, Director and Volunteer, since 2023
  • Trident Theatre of the Grand Théâtre de Québec, Actor in the fundraising performance of Les Mécènes, 2012-2019
  • Cégep Limoilou Foundation, Member of the Board of Directors, since 2018
  • Québec City University Hospital Center's Foundation, Member of the Planned-Giving Advisory Board, 2014-2018

Teaching engagements

  • Québec Bar School, Lecturer, since 2017
  • Author: “Chronique – Les réseaux sociaux et la désinhibition de la conversation moderne” [Opinion column – Social networks and the disinhibition of modern conversation], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, July 2023, EYB2023REP3654.
  • Co-author: “Insurance in the era of climate change”, June 5, 2023.
  • Author: “Commentaire sur la décision W.F. c. Butzlaff : le contrôle des comportements inappropriés en ligne” [Case comment on F. v. Butzlaff: Controlling inappropriate online behaviour], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, March 2022, EYB2022REP3415.
  • Co-author: “Criminal Record of a Person Residing in the Home: a Factor Aggravating the Insurance Risk?”, May 14, 2018.
  • Author: “L’interprétation des polices d’assurance en 2018” [The interpretation of insurance policies in 2018], Développements récents en droit des assurances, Barreau du Québec, Éditions Yvon Blais, vol. 451, 2018.
  • Author: “Commentaire sur la décision Lizotte c. Aviva, Compagnie d’assurances du Canada – La portée du privilège relatif au litige : la Cour suprême a tranché” [Case comment on the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Lizotte v. Aviva Insurance Company of Canada on the scope of the litigation privilege – The Supreme Court has ruled], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, January 2017, EYB2017REP2118.
  • Co-author: “Le privilège relatif au litige: la protection du processus judiciaire” [The litigation privilege: Protecting the judicial process], Assurance de dommages – Troisième Colloque, Éditions Yvon Blais, coll. « La Collection Blais », vol. 26, 2017.
  • Co-author: “Inaction May Be Fatal to the Insured”, November 8, 2016.
  • Co-author: “Chronique – Les conséquences défavorables pour l'assuré inactif : la perte du bénéfice de l'assurance” [Opinion column – Negative consequences for unresponsive insured: loss of benefit of insurance], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, September 2016, EYB2016REP2038.
  • Co-author: “Commentaire sur la décision Compagnie d'assurances Chartis c. SCE Électrique inc. – Le défaut de collaboration de l'assuré n'affecte pas le recours subrogatoire de son assureur” [Case comment on Compagnie d’assurances Chartis v. SCE Électrique inc. – The insured’s failure to cooperate does not affect the subrogatory right of action of the insured], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, July 2016, EYB2016REP1982.
  • Co-author: “A Recent Superior Court Decision Saves an Insurer’s Subrogatory Action”, May 11, 2016.
  • Author: “Commentaire sur la décision Lizotte c. Aviva, Compagnie d’assurances du Canada – L’opposabilité du privilège relatif au litige et du secret professionnel au droit d’enquête du syndic” [Case comment on Lizotte v. Aviva Insurance Company of Canada – The opposability of litigation privilege and professional secrecy to the syndic's right of investigation], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, June 2015, EYB2015REP1718.
  • Co-author: “The Limit to the Insurer’s Subrogatory Action Against the Manufacturer”, Canadian Insurance Law Reporter, No. 771, Wolters Kluwer CCH, March 2015, p. 1.
  • Co-author: “The Limit to the Insurer’s Subrogatory Action Against the Manufacturer”, March 9, 2015.
  • Author: “Chronique – Décisions récentes en matière d'acceptation des risques et de clauses d'exonération de responsabilité” [Opinion column – Recent decisions with respect to risk acceptance and disclaimer clauses], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, June 2014, EYB2014REP1554.
  • Author: “Chronique – L’irrecevabilité du recours des suites d’une quittance donnée à un codébiteur solidaire ou in solidum : un risque pour le demandeur?” [Opinion column – Dismissal of an action following a receipt given to a solidary debtor or in solidum: A risk for the plaintiff?], Éditions Yvon Blais, September 2013, EYB2013REP1412.
  • Co-author: “Chronique – Le droit québécois s’adapte aux réseaux sociaux” [Opinion column – Québec law is adapting to social networks], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, July 2013, EYB2013REP1371.
  • Author: “Commentaire sur la décision Loranger c. Lloyd’s Canada, compagnie d’assurances – Les antécédents criminels en matière d’assurance habitation” [Case comment on Loranger v. Lloyd’s Canada, compagnie d’assurances – Criminal record with reference to home insurance], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, May 2013, EYB2013REP1364.
  • Author: “Commentaire sur la décision Chamouri c. Financière Manuvie – L’attentat et le bénéficiaire” [Case comment on Chamouri v. Financière Manuvie – The offense and the beneficiary], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, September 2012, EYB2012REP1238.
  • Auteure : “Commentaire sur la décision Transamerica Vie Canada c. Cadrin –L’interprétation de la notion d’invalidité totale au sens de la police d’assurance” [Case comment on Transamerica Vie Canada v. Cadrin – Interpreting the notion of total disability within the meaning of the insurance policy], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, March 2012, EYB2012REP1155.
  • Author: “Commentaire sur la décision L.S. c. Axa Assurances inc. – La croyance réelle de l’assuré quant à son état de santé” [Case comment on L.S. v. Axa Assurances inc. – What the insured really believes about his or her state of health], Repère, Éditions Yvon Blais, July 2011, EYB2011REP1071.
  • Author:  “Commentaire sur la décision Jarry c. Industrielle Alliance, Assurance auto et habitation inc. – L'acceptation du risque moral lié aux activités illicites de l'assuré” [Case comment on the Jarry v. Industrielle Alliance, Assurance auto et habitation inc. – Acceptance of the moral risk associated with the illicit activities of the insured], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, March 2011, EYB2011REP1030.
  • Author: “Commentaire sur la décision Gagnon c. Unum Life Insurance Company of America – Mise en garde pour l'assureur en assurance invalidité” [Case comment on Gagnon v. Unum Life Insurance Company of America – A Warning for Disability Insurers], Repères, Éditions Yvon Blais, November 2010, EYB2010REP998.
  • Co-speaker: La gestion du secret professionnel et du privilège relatif au litige [Managing the solicitor-client privilege and the litigation privilege], Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, October 24, 2023.
  • Speaker: Comment améliorer le scénario de votre C.R.A. [How to improve your Conference Settlement process], a workshop given as part of the training session Le nouveau Code de procédure civile, 7 ans après : qu’en est-il?, Journée de formation en collaboration avec la Cour supérieure du Québec, Bar of Québec City, Québec City, April 13, 2023.
  • Co-speaker: La responsabilité du professionnel : connaître les enjeux [Issues of interest concerning professional liability], Langlois Knowledge, webinar, February 25, 2021.
  • Co-speaker: L’assurance des copropriétés divises depuis l’adoption du projet de loi 141 [Insurance of divided co-ownership since the adoption of Bill 141], as part of the Insurance Law Seminar – 4th Edition, Éditions Yvon Blais, Montréal, October 2019, and Québec City, November 2019.
  • Co-speaker: La notion de bonne foi en droit civil [The notion of good faith in civil law], as part of the Colloque 2019 – Droit des assurances, Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, March 19, 2019.
  • Co-speaker: Le privilège relatif au litige: la protection du processus judiciaire [The litigation privilege: protecting the judicial process], as part of the third symposium entitled Assurance de dommages, Éditions Yvon Blais, Montréal, 2017.
  • Co-speaker: Revue jurisprudentielle 2014-2015 [Case law review 2014-2015], as part of the Colloque droit des assurances 2015, Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, May 22, 2015.
  • Co-speaker: La portée de l’obligation de bonne foi de l’assureur dans le traitement des réclamations [The scope of the insurer’s duty to act in good faith in the handling of claims], as part of the second symposium entitled Assurance de dommages, Éditions Yvon Blais, Montréal, 2015.
  • Co-speaker: Revue de la jurisprudence récente en matière de droit des assurances – partie III, as part of the Colloque droit des assurances 2014, Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, May 29, 2014.

LL.M., University of London, 2010

LL.B., Civil Law, Université Laval, 2007

Featured Articles

Publications
May 29th, 2023

Insurance in the era of climate change
Starting in the 2000s, the Actuaries Climate Index began to trend upward in Canada, reflecting the increasing probability of extreme weather events.1 More recently, a single event resulted in massive insurance claims. The 2016 fires in Fort McMurray caused nearly $10 billion in damage, a third of which was insured. It was the country’s biggest […]
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Workshops and conferences
February 25th, 2021

Issues of interest concerning professional liability
On February 25, Langlois lawyers and partners Vikki Andrighetti, Joanie Proteau, Renée-Maude Vachon and Jean-François Vézina presented a webinar concerning key issues in terms of professional liability. The webinar covered recent rulings and answered questions concerning alleged responsibility when courts review professional liability cases, the elements which are considered relevant and appropriate defence in case […]
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