Ariane-Sophie Blais
Partner
Key practice areas
Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Class Actions, Extraordinary Remedies, Environmental Law, Aboriginal Law
Ariane-Sophie is a partner in the firm's Litigation group. She leads a wide range of complex and high-profile civil and commercial litigation cases, especially in health and environmental law. She has expertise in class actions, shareholder disputes and professional liability. She is frequently involved in extraordinary remedies such as injunctions and Anton Piller orders.
Companies turn to Ariane-Sophie for advice on corporate governance and reputational risk. Favouring a pragmatic approach focused on creative solutions, she provides her clients with effective support and advice in keeping with their commercial and professional interests. Ariane-Sophie pleads regularly before Québec’s main civil and administrative courts, both at trial and on appeal.
Ariane-Sophie acts or has acted in the following mandates:
- Anton Piller orders for data protection;
- environmental class actions (dust): defending against nuisance and extra-contractual liability claims over a 10-year period;
- shareholder dispute: defending against a claim of nearly $10 million against majority shareholders;
- Aboriginal law: defending a First Nation in an application for declaratory judgment in a land claim;
- governance: defending companies involved in a healthcare PPP.
- Benchmark Litigation Canada – Future Star, 2024
- Université de Sherbrooke, Lecturer for the Concours Pierre-Basile Mignault, since 2024
- Canadian Bar Association's Québec Branch, Member, since 2021
- The Advocates' Society, Member, since 2021
- Bar of Québec City, Member of the Outreach Committee, since 2020
- Co-author: “Commentaire sur l’arrêt Canada (Procureur général) c. Power – La Cour suprême confirme que l’État peut être tenu de payer des dommages-intérêts pour l’adoption d’une loi subséquemment déclarée inconstitutionnelle” [Case comment – Canada (Attorney General) v. Power – The Supreme Court confirms the State can be required to pay damages following the enactment of legislation later declared unconstitutional], Repères, September 2024, EYB2024REP3785.
- Co-author: “Class actions: Supreme Court of Canada upholds the status quo over authorization criteria in Quebec”, November 2, 2020.
- Co-author: “Security on Inventory Subject to Third-Party Intellectual Property Rights: How Are Creditors’ Rights Affected?”, April 15, 2015.
- Co-speaker: Les modifications à la Loi sur la concurrence [Amendments to the Competition Act], Langlois Knowledge, webinar, December 7, 2022.
- Co-speaker: Class actions: situational analysis – retrospective and future expectations, as part of a workshop series on class actions, Langlois Knowledge, webinar, March 16, 2021.
- Co-speaker: Class actions : environmental law and neighbourhood disturbances, as part of a workshop series on class actions, Langlois Knowledge, webinar, March 19, 2020.
- Interviewed: “Le litige à Québec” [Litigation in Québec City], article by Sophie Ginoux, special edition on litigation, Droit-Inc, October 30, 2024.
- Quoted: “La protection du public au cœur des enjeux” [Public protection at the heart of the issues], Gérer l’après-Charbonneau [Managing the ʻafter Charbonneauʼ] and "La gouvernance au cœur du Code des professions" [Governance at the center of the Professional Code], special edition on professional orders, Les Affaires, October 14, 2017.
National Program in Common Law, University of Ottawa, 2008
LL.L., University of Ottawa, 2007
B.A., Linguistics, Université Laval, 2003