Sean Griffin

• Litigation and Dispute Resolution
• Financial Institutions and Financial Services Law
• Internal and Regulatory Investigations, Compliance and White Collar Defence
• Securities Litigation
• Constitutional Law
• Public and Administrative Law
• Government Affairs
• Corporate Governance
• Class Actions
• Private International Law
• Civil and Commercial Litigation
• Appellate Advocacy
• Professional Liability

Recent cases and judgments

• In 2019, Sean acted for the Chief Justices of the Superior Court of Québec before a bench of seven judges of the Québec Court of Appeal in connection with a reference on the jurisdiction of the Civil Division of the Court of Québec. The ensuing landmark decision addresses the historical role of the superior courts in Canada and the constitutional protection of their fundamental jurisdiction (2019 QCCA 1492). In September 2020, Sean successfully pleaded the case before the Supreme Court of Canada (Reference re Code of Civil Procedure (Que.), art. 35, 2021 SCC 27).
• In 2019, in the IMTT-Québec Inc. case before the Québec Court of Appeal (2019 QCCA 1598), Sean acted for the Québec Port Authority and IMTT, an industry leader in the handling and storage of bulk liquid products. In a landmark constitutional decision, the Québec Court of Appeal found that several sections of the provincial environmental legislation did not apply to federal lands and properties nor to the activities of IMTT.
• In the high-profile case of Truchon (2019 QCCS 3792), Sean acted for two non-profit organizations supporting the plaintiffs in the constitutional challenge to the limitations on medically assisted death in provincial and federal legislation. Québec’s Superior Court invalidated the impugned provisions, such that the federal and provincial governments are currently amending legislation to comply with the decision.
• In Duchesneau (2019 QCCA 791), Sean successfully defended Laurentian Bank Securities before the Québec Court of Appeal against allegations of negligence in the context of offshore investments.
• Sean acted for National Bank of Canada in five different jurisdictions in the context of pan-Canadian class action proceedings alleging price-fixing of interchange fees. In that context, the British Columbia Court of Appeal (2019 BCCA 308), the Québec Court of Appeal (2019 QCCA 1465), the Ontario Court of Appeal (2019 ONCA 822, bench of five judges) the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal (2020 SKCA 7) and the Alberta Court of appeal (2021 ABCA 40) each rendered highly important decisions for class action practitioners and courts across the country. The decisions notably touch upon the appeal rights of class members following the court approval of a settlement agreement and the validity of releases that cover future claims based on continuing and future conduct. The Supreme Court has dismissed leave applications.
• In Haroch (2019 QCCS 5649, 2021 QCCA 1504), the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal of Québec dismissed a class action alleging improper prepayment of mortgage fees against multiple financial institutions. Sean acts for National Bank of Canada.
• In the Lovaganza file (2020 QCCS 600), Sean acted for the largest bailiffs’ firms in Québec. The Superior Court dismissed a class action alleging professional negligence of the firm in the context of administrative proceedings that would have led to an international fraud and transfer of monies outside of Canada.
• In Vihar Hospitality Inc. c. Norael Corp. (2022 QCCA 509), Sean acted for Norael Corp. in a commercial lease dispute in which the parties disagreed as to the option contract for the purchase of emphyteutic rights. The Court of Appeal decided in favour of Norael in a landmark case that established the conditions of an emphyteusis.
• In Tessier c. Desjardins Groupe d'assurances générales inc. (2022 QCCS 714, 2023 QCCA 688), the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal dismissed a class action alleging that the discounts payable by contractors to insurers should be disclosed to insureds as it is an “important fact” under the Consumer Protection Act. Sean acted for three insurers. The case is now before the Québec Court of Appeal.
• On January 18, 2023, Sean pleaded before the Supreme Court of Canada in the context of administrative proceedings commenced by the AMF for alleged market manipulation by foreign residents. The decision rendered by the Supreme Court is the first to determine the private international law rules applicable to the jurisdiction of the Financial Markets Administrative Tribunal of Québec and other provincial administrative tribunals (Sharp v. Autorité des marchés financiers, 2023 SCC 29).
• In 2023 and 2024, alongside a Langlois team, Sean represented the federally appointed military judges before the Military Judges Compensation Committee and the provincially nominated municipal judges before the Provincial Remuneration Committee.
• In Services maritimes Québec inc. c. Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales, Sean represented a stevedoring firm operating a Québec marine services facility in a constitutional dispute over the applicability and operability of the Private Security Act with respect to the firm and its activities. The case is now before the Supreme Court of Canada and will be heard in 2025 (2024 CanLII 25746 (SCC)).

• Chambers Canada – Litigation: General Commercial, 2024
• Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory:
  • Litigation (Corporate Commercial), 2021-2024
  • Litigation (Securities), 2021-2024
  • Class Actions, 2023-2024
• Benchmark Litigation Canada:
  • Litigation Star,  2019-2024
  • Local Litigation Star, 2018
• Best Lawyers in Canada:
  • Corporate and Commercial Litigation, 2021-2025
  • Class Action Litigation, 2022-2025
  • Appellate Practice, 2024-2025
  • Banking and Finance Law, 2025
• Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, since 2022
• Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers, 2022, 2023
• Canadian Law Awards 2020 – Nominated as Litigator of the Year, 2020

• Québec's Federation of chambers of commerce, Member of the Financial Services, Capital and Economy Committee, since 2024
• The Advocates’ Society, Member

• Co-author: “Information security incident management: A new regulatory framework for financial institutions and credit assessment agents”, October 28, 2024.
• 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: “New Regulation respecting the handling of complaints and the resolution of disputes in the financial sector: towards a standardization of practices”, April 29, 2024.
• Co-author: “Supreme Court broadens cyber-privacy to include IP addresses: 5 business takeaways from Bykovets”, March 20, 2024.
• Co-author: “The SCC issues a landmark ruling on the territorial jurisdiction of Québec’s administrative tribunals”, November 30, 2023.
• Co-author: “Reference re Impact Assessment Act: Supreme Court majority rules that the presumption of constitutionality cannot save the Act from being unconstitutional in part”, October 30, 2023.
• Co-author: “The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) launches its first investigations”, July 21, 2023.
• Co-author: “The Ontario Court of Appeal reaffirms that only a clear, explicit and unequivocal statutory provision can abrogate solicitor-client and litigation privilege”, June 2, 2023.
• Author: “Crown immunity for the enactment of legislation later declared unconstitutional before the Supreme Court of Canada”, April 6, 2023.
• Co-author: “The Court of Appeal finds that the principle of proportionality does not extend the scope of the doctrine of forum of necessity”, October 13, 2022.
• Co-author: “B.C. Court of Appeal affirms constitutionality of ban on private insurance for provincially covered healthcare”, August 23, 2022.
• Co-author: “Public interest standing: The Supreme Court reaffirms its Canada (Attorney General) v. Downtown Eastside Sex Workers United Against Violence Society analysis”, July 20, 2022.
• Co-author: “Delays in administrative proceedings: the Supreme Court holds the line”, July 20, 2022.
• Co-author: “Lessons in evidence, procedure and natural justice from the Financial Markets Administrative Tribunal”, August 19, 2021.
• Co-author: “A step towards the right to be forgotten: a developing story”, July 22, 2021.
• Co-author: “Peace, order, good government and… climate change: the Supreme Court articulates the constitutional doctrine of the national concern”, April 16, 2021.
• Co-author: “Class actions: Supreme Court of Canada upholds the status quo over authorization criteria in Québec”, November 2, 2020.
• Co-author: “Investigations under the Business Corporations Act and their findings: No backtracking, according to the Superior Court”, September 21, 2020.
• Co-author: “Prohibiting genetic discrimination: a valid criminal law subject, according to the Supreme Court of Canada”, July 22, 2020.
• Author: “Preventing visual pollution and valid constitutional limits on freedom of expression”, June 18, 2020.
• Co-author: “International jurisdiction of Québec courts in matters of contractual interpretation: the Court of Appeal rules”, April 28, 2020.
• Co-author: “To launch, or not to launch, an internal investigation during the COVID-19 crisis: that might be a question”, April 9, 2020.
• Co-author: “IIROC issues Notice 20-0063 regarding COVID-19 related exemptions from IIROC Rules”, April 8, 2020.
• Co-author: “Crisis management and the heightened risk of insider trading and tipping”, March 31, 2020.
• Co-author: “COVID-19: Order in Council 223-2020 on essential services and the legal risks of noncompliance”, March 26, 2020.
• Co-author: “The Right to Die with Dignity: The Québec Superior Court Rules”, September 30, 2019.
• Co-author: “Commentaire sur la décision Veer c. Boardwalk Real Estate Investment Trust – La compétence exclusive de la Régie du logement” [Case comment on Veer v. Boardwalk Real Estate Investment Trust – The exclusive jurisdiction of Québec’s rental board), Repères, September 2019, EYB2019REP2826.
• Co-author: “Commentaire sur la décision Association canadienne pour les armes à feu c. Procureure générale du Québec – Le contrôle des armes à feu qualifié sous l'angle de sécurité publique au Québec” [Case comment on Association canadienne pour les armes à feu v. Procureure générale du Québec – Firearms control in Québec considered from the standpoint of public security], Repères, August 2019, EYB2019REP2825.
• Co-author: “Wearing a Hijab in Québec Courtrooms”, December 5, 2018.
• Co-author: “The Supreme Court Rules on the Duty to Consult First Nations During the Legislative Process”, November 29, 2018.
• Co-author: “Governance in the Era of the #Metoo Movement: an Overdue Wake-up Call”, September 28, 2018.
• Co-author: “Commentaire sur la décision R. c. Comeau – La Cour suprême confirme le précédent de l'arrêt Gold Seal, 100 ans plus tard” [Case comment on R. v. Comeau – the Supreme Court confirms the Gold Seal precedent, 100 years on], Repères, June 2018, EYB2018REP2477.
• Co-author: “Not Just a “Beer Case” : The Supreme Court Confirms the Constitutionality of Certain Provincial Non-Tariff Trade Barriers”, May 1, 2018.
• Co-author: “Commentaire sur la décision Association canadienne pour les armes à feu c. Procureure générale du Québec – Un débat constitutionnel à plusieurs facettes : à qui revient le pouvoir de légiférer quant au contrôle des armes à feu?” [Case comment on Association canadienne pour les armes à feu v. Procureure générale du Québec – A multi-facetted constitutional debate: which jurisdiction has the power to legislate on gun control?], Repères, February 2018, EYB2018REP2413.
• Co-author: “Corporate Responsibility: What Happens Abroad Doesn’t Stay There”, February 23, 2018.
• Co-author: “Corporate responsibility: What happens abroad doesn’t stay there”, The Lawyer’s Daily, February 15, 2018.
• Co-author: “The Court of Appeal Limits the Disclosure of Documents Prior to the Authorization of a Class Action Instituted Under the Securities Act”, February 8, 2018.
• Co-author: “Cheque Fraud: In 5-4 Split, the SCC Upholds and Refines Existing Defences to Conversion Claims Under the Bills of Exchange Act”, November 2, 2017.
• Co-author: “OSC Decision in Token Funder Inc. Initial Coin Offering: Is Canada Finally Becoming an ICO-Friendly Jurisdiction? ”, October 26, 2017.
• Author: “The Comeau Case: Are We Headed for Liberalized Interprovincial Trade in Canada? The Supreme Court Will Soon Decide”, August 3, 2017.
• Co-author: “Stretching the long arm of the law?”, Canadian Lawyer, 24 avril 2017.
• Co-author: “Disclosure of Documents in Class Actions at the Pre-Authorization Stage Under the QSA”, February 9, 2017.
• Co-author: “L’action collective n’altère pas la nécessaire démonstration du lien de causalité” [Class action proceedings not altering the need to prove causation), La Référence, Éditions Yvon Blais, January 2017, EYB2017REP2106.
• Author: “Spring Loading Recognized as an Offence Under the QSA in Québec”, December 14, 2016.
• Co-author: “Class action proceedings not authorised against financial market participants: it’s not because it is complicated that the threshold is lower”, Lexology, January 26, 2016.
• Author: “Annoying ain’t enough: moral damages in the context of security or data breaches”, Lexology, November 16, 2015.
• Co-author: “The need for a legal ground to stand on: a shareholders class action is dismissed at the authorization stage for failure to meet article 1003 b) C.C.P. (Groupe d’action d’investisseurs dans Biosyntech v. Tsang, 2015 QCCS 3265)”, Lexology, August 17, 2015.
• Coauthor: “Proposed class action misses its ‘target’ in Québec”, Lexology, April 17, 2015.
• Co-author: “On market manipulation – the case of Thalbinder Singh Poonian et al.”, 2014 BCSECCOM 318”, Lexology, February 25, 2015.
• Co-author: “Mere compliance with privacy requirements by corporations may no longer be enough”, Lexology, February 25, 2015.
• Co-author: “PHIPA does not preclude the recourse to common law for health privacy violations”, Lexology, February 25, 2015.
• Co-author: “Bill C-13: Lawful access and the relationship Between organizations, cyber-bullying and the protection of privacy rights”, First Reference, September 30, 2015.
• Co-author: “Summary Of Société Financière Manuvie v. Dominic D’Alessandro And Others”, Mondaq, December 31, 2014.
• Co-author: “Cybersecurity governance and D&O liability”, Techlex, December 22, 2014.
• Author: “Technologies et commerce de détail : pensez cybersécurité” [Technology and the retail business: think cyber-security], Tout en détail newsletter, Conseil Québécois du commerce de détail, December 2014.
• Co-author: “Le bureau de décision et de révision conclut que Jean Lamarre n’a pas refilé d’information privilégiée” [The Decision and Review Board decides that Jean Lamarre did not pass on insider information], Lexology, November 4, 2014.
• Co-author: “Le ‘Top Ten’ en droit des affaires” [The top ten in business law], Développements récents en droit des affaires, Éditions Yvon Blais, November 2014.
• Co-author: “Interim injunctive relief against Google as a tool to enforce intellectual property rights worldwide”, Lexology, July 4, 2014.
• Co-author: “Proactive monitoring: lack of employee oversight leads to the certification of the first privacy class action based on the novel tort of ‘intrusion upon seclusion’”, Lexology, June 23, 2014.
• Co-author: “Privacy breaches: statutory torts of British Columbia’s Privacy Act override forum selection clauses”, Mondaq, June 9, 2014.
• Co-author: “The interplay between Class Actions and related proceedings”, Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, January 2014.
• Co-author: “L'affaire Coventree : retour sur les principes applicables lors de la détermination de l'occurrence d'un changement important” [The Coventree decision: a review of the applicable principles for determining whether a material change has occurred], Éditions Yvon Blais, Vol. 376, November 2013.

• Chair: Colloque sur les développements récents en droit des enquêtes réglementaires et internes [Recent Developments in Regulatory and Internal Investigation Conference], organized by the Québec Bar, 2024.
• Co-speaker: Meilleures pratiques – enquêtes internes [Best practices – Internal investigations], workshop for a client, Montréal, November 30, 2023.
• Chair: Colloque sur les développements récents en litige des valeurs mobilières [Symposium on recent developments in securities litigation], organized by the Québec Bar, 2023.
• Co-speaker: Les obligations d’information prévues à la LPC et la LVM : similarités, différences et dialogues [Similarities and differences between disclosure requirements under the Consumer Protection Act and the Securities Act], Recent developments in securities litigation, Montréal, October 19, 2023.
• Chair: Colloque sur les développements récents en droit des enquêtes réglementaires et internes [Recent Developments in Regulatory and Internal Investigation Conference], organized by the Québec Bar, 2022.
• Co-speaker: Nevsun and Beyond: Canadian Corporations Face Increased Liability Risk for Human Rights Abuses Committed Abroad, Recent Developments in Regulatory and Internal Investigation, organized by the Québec Bar, November 18, 2021.
• Chair: Colloque sur les développements récents en droit des enquêtes réglementaires et internes [Recent Developments in Regulatory and Internal Investigation Conference], organized by the Québec Bar, 2019.
• Co-speaker and organizer: It’s Been a Privilege: Recent Developments on Litigation Privilege in the Context of Internal Investigations, Recent Developments in Regulatory and Internal Investigation, organized by the Québec Bar, Montréal, April 12, 2019.
• Co-speaker: Bourse de Montréal: une bourse et un organisme d’autoréglementation [The Montréal Exchange: an exchange and a regulator], Langlois Knowledge in collaboration with the Montréal Exchange, March 29, 2018.
• Chair: Colloque sur les développements récents en litige des valeurs mobilières [Symposium on recent developments in securities litigation], organized by the Québec Bar, 2017.
• Co-speaker: Introduction aux infractions prévues aux articles 187 et 188 de la Loi sur les valeurs mobilières du Québec [An introduction to offences under sections 187 and 188 of the Québec Securities Act], organized by the Québec Bar, December 1, 2017.
• Speaker: Presentation on regulatory and internal investigations to the lawyers and compliance team members of a Canadian financial institution, November 2015.
• Speaker: Presentation on regulatory and internal investigations at an annual conference on labour law, November 28, 2015.
• Speaker: Presentation on governance and cybersecurity to the lawyers and compliance team members of a Canadian rail transportation company, June 2015.
• Speaker: Presentation on the most significant commercial litigation decisions in 2014, at the annual convention of the Québec Bar, June 12, 2015.
• Speaker: Presentation on governance and cybersecurity to the members of the Association of Corporate Counsels, June 2015.
• Speaker: Presentation on regulatory and internal investigations at the annual meeting of a Canadian insurance company, May 2015.
• Speaker: Presentation on governance and cybersecurity to the lawyers and compliance team members of a Canadian financial institution, May 2015.
• Speaker: Presentation on governance, crisis management and cybersecurity to over 150 lawyers of a Canadian insurance company (annual international conference), May 2015.
• Speaker: Presentation on governance and cybersecurity to the lawyers and compliance team members of the largest cooperative group in Canada, May 2015.

Leadership in Law Firms Program, Harvard Law School, Cambridge (Massachusetts), 2023

LL.B., Civil Law, Université Laval, 2006

Legal studies – Université Panthéon-Assas, Paris II, France, 2005

Master’s level studies – Philosophy – Laval University, 2003

Master’s level studies – Philosophy – St-Joseph University, Beirut, 2002

B.A. Double major, Literature and Philosophy, McGill University, 2000