August 29th, 2024
Langlois Celebrates Stellar Success in 2025 Best Lawyers in Canada
60 colleagues in the spotlight this year!
François Rolland
, O.C., Ad. E. Senior Counsel, Mediator, Arbitrator
Key practice areas
Mediation, Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Construction and Infrastructure Law, Corporate Governance
The Honourable François Rolland, O.C., Ad. E., is senior counsel, mediator and arbitrator in our Litigation group in Montréal.
François was a Justice of the Superior Court of Québec from 1996 to 2015, and Chief Justice from 2004 to 2015. He presided over numerous trials in all areas of the law, including commercial law, class actions, insolvency and corporate reorganizations, as well as matrimonial disputes. He also presided over many settlement conferences in civil, commercial and family matters, as well as several facilitation conferences in criminal matters. François actively worked on the implementation of the Settlement Conferences Division and on the creation of the Class Actions Division, and made an active contribution to the development of the Commercial Division of the Superior Court.
Since retiring from the bench, François has rejoined the Québec Bar. Until December 2017, he was Director of the Voluntary Reimbursement Program created by the Québec government pursuant to the Act to ensure mainly the recovery of amounts improperly paid as a result of fraud or fraudulent tactics in connection with public contracts. He also presides over mediations and acts as an arbitrator in commercial disputes, including multi-jurisdictional class actions. François received the honorary title of Advocatus Emeritus in 2018 and was named Officer of the Order of Canada on November 27, 2020.
Throughout his career as a lawyer, Justice and Chief Justice, François has been invited to speak on many occasions to various local, national and international audiences including students, colleagues, members of the business community and international dignitaries. He also taught ethics at the National Judicial Institute for ten years.
Class action mediation
- Has presided over numerous mediations, including several in the context of multi-jurisdictional collective actions.
- Officer of the Order of Canada (O.C.), 2020
- Advocatus Emeritus (Ad. E.), Québec Bar, 2018
- Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory – Litigation – Corporate Commercial, 2021
- Best Lawyers in Canada:
- Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2021-2025
- International Arbitration, 2022-2025
- Louis-St-Laurent Award of Excellence, Canadian Bar Association, 2006
- Centennial Medal, Canadian Bar Association, 1996
- École nationale de l’administration publique (ENAP), Expert in residence, since August 2023
- Québec Institute for Law and Justice Reform (IQRDJ):
- Founding member
- Member of the Executive Committee, since 2019
- Québec Bar, Ethics Commissioner, since 2016
- Éducaloi (a legal education organization), Chair of the Board of Directors, 2017-2023
- Centre for access to legal information (CAIJ):
- Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, 2018
- Member of the Board of Directors, 2015-2021
- National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, Member
- Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, Member of the Board of Directors, since 2009
- International Insolvency Institute, Member, since 2008
- Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Member, since 1975
- Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments (Canada), Federal Member, since 2018
- Approved Arbitrator on NAFTA’s Chapter 19 list, since 2018
- Speaker: Les assureurs vus par les tribunaux : une discussion avec l'ex-juge en chef de la Cour supérieure, François Rolland [Insurers as seen by the courts: A conversation with the former Chief Justice of the Superior Court, François Rolland], Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, October 4, 2022.
- Panelist: Le projet de loi 26 et le Programme de remboursement volontaire : une alternative pour le règlement de conflit [Bill 26 and the Voluntary Reimbursement Program: an alternative for conflict resolution], as part of the event 10 ans plus tard… Les commissions d’enquête et les suites de la Commission Charbonneau, organized by the Québec Bar Foundation, Montréal, October 19, 2021.
- Moderator: Les articles 1 à 7 du Code de procédure civile 5 ans après [Articles 1 to 7 of the Code of Civil Procedure 5 years on], as part of the event Table ronde sur la justice participative, organized by the Québec Bar Foundation, March 31, 2021.
LL.L., Université de Montréal, 1974