Nathalie Dubé
PartnerNathalie Dubé focuses her litigation practice on insurance, professional, and disciplinary law. Her versatility allows her to plead before all levels of court, and before disciplinary and even penal tribunals. She represents insurers in subrogatory proceedings, advises on coverage issues and defends insurers and their insureds in a variety of disputes, including civil and professional liability suits.
Drawing on her deep expertise in professional and disciplinary law, Nathalie acts in cases involving regulation, discipline and investigations for the unauthorized use of professional titles and unlawful practice. She also advises professional orders, including their boards of directors, professional inspection committees and review committees. In addition, she co-authored a summary of professional law published in 2007. She is also a member of the firm's Executive Committee.
- Recovery – Lac-Mégantic tragedy
Represented several insurers in a subrogatory action against Canadian Pacific and Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Canada following the July 2013 rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic. Many experts and witnesses testified in this complex trial, which spanned more than eight months. The dispute centred on a rail carrier’s liability and safety obligations with respect to product classification and railroad operations. The insurer’s action ran parallel to the class action suit and the Attorney General of Québec’s action. The dispute is now before the Court of Appeal. - Insurance coverage
Worked on numerous legal opinions on insurance coverage. - 9124-4541 Québec inc. et al. v. Intact Assurance
Successfully contested a claim by Intact’s insureds following a fire in a poultry processing plant. Despite the insurer’s insistence that restoration measures be taken, the insureds failed to do so. The latter nevertheless maintained that their loss of clientele and the deterioration of the premises were attributable to the insurer, from which they claimed over $8 million. The dispute centred on the obligations of the parties to an insurance contract following a loss and particularly the insured’s obligation to minimize its losses. This obligation had been discussed at first instance and was restated and confirmed by the Court of Appeal. - Educational childcare services Provided representation and advice with respect to administrative matters such as non-compliance notices, permit non-renewal or revocation, administrative monetary penalties, and penal proceedings instituted by the DPCP under the Educational Childcare Act.
- Award for best pleader and best mooting pair at Université Laval’s Coupe du Doyen moot court competition, 1999
- Bar School of Québec City, Teacher (Ethics and Professional Conduct issues), since 2022
- Association of Women in Finance of Québec (AFFQ)
- Active Member of the Québec Committee, since 2013
- Active Member of the Women on the Board Committee, since 2013
- Moderator of the Cercles d'enrichissement, 2023-2024
- Young Bar of Québec City:
- Chair of the Professional Development Committee, 2009-2011
- Member of the Professional Development Committee, 2002-2009
- Québec City Association of Insurance Women (AFAQ), Member, since 2004
- Maison Kinsmen Marie-Rollet, Member of the Board of Directors, 2004-2006
- Author: “Immunity of syndic experts”, March 17, 2023.
- Author: “The importance of the mandatory annual declaration for professionals”, November 24, 2021.
- Author: “The Disciplinary Council’s duty to assist an unrepresented party”, February 28, 2020.
- Author: “Bill 29: Overview of Proposed Amendments to the Professional Code”, June 20, 2019.
- Author: “Application of the Police Informer Privilege to the Syndic of a Professional Order”, March 22, 2019.
- Author: “Section 59.1 of the Professional Code: Stricter Sanctions and Management of Proceedings”, October 29, 2018.
- Author: “Imposing a Period of Refresher Training: Exercise of the Discretionary Power of the Executive Committee of a Professional Order”, April 13, 2018.
- Author: “How Jordan decision will impact disciplinary law”, The Lawyer’s Daily, October 10, 2017.
- Author: “Will the Jodan Decision Have an Impact on Disciplinary Law?”, March 3, 2017.
- Co-author: “The Role of the Tribunal des professions: True Appellate Jurisdiction or Judicial Review in Disguise?”, April 13, 2012.
- Co-author: Précis de droit professionnel [Summary of Professional Law], Éditions Yvon Blais, Cowansville, 2007.
- Co-speaker : Quand la déontologie devient politique : gérer la liberté d’expression à l’ère post-factuelle [When ethics become politics: Managing freedom of expression in the post-factual era], as part of the workshop Ordres professionnels : quelles valeurs encadrent vos décisions?, Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, October 10 and 16, 2024.
- Speaker: Le marché de l’assurance et l’interprétation des polices d’assurance [The insurance market and the interpretation of insurance policies], Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, October 12 and 18, 2023.
- Speaker: Le traitement des procédures pénales et disciplinaires concurrentes [Handling concurrent criminal and disciplinary proceedings], as part of the Journées stratégiques en droit disciplinaire, organized by Open Forum Ouvert, Montréal, May 1, 2023
- Co-speaker: Quels risques doivent surveiller les ordre professionnels en 2022-2023? [What risks should professional orders be monitoring in 2022-2023?], Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, October 5 and 12, 2022.
- Co-speaker: 59.1 C.P. Infractions à caractère sexuel : sanctions accrues et gestion de l’instance [Section 59.1 of the Professional Code – Offences of a Sexual Nature: Stricter Sanctions and Management of Proceedings], Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, October 20, 2018, and Québec City, October 25, 2018.
LL.B., Civil Law, Université Laval, 2000
Certificate, Social Services, Université Laval, 1995