Yann Bernard
Lawyer, Partner - Montréal
Yann Bernard represents, since 1994, private and public institutions, and particularly school boards, at all judicial and quasi-judicial levels, from administrative tribunals to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Possessing a wealth of experience – 20 years in private practice combined with four years as director of legal affairs and secretary general for major anglophone and francophone school boards – Yann offers his clientele a concrete approach centred on the management needs of the education community. Furthermore, he takes special care to provide his clientele with advice in line with their institution’s strategic vision.
Yann distinguishes himself by his ability to understand complex labour relations issues and the impact of each grievance arbitration or workplace injury case on employer-employee relations. The media and communications experience he gained while working as secretary general is much appreciated by his clients, especially in crisis management situations arising from labour conflicts or other high-profile confrontations.
Yann also practices sports law. He gives strategic and legal advice to sports federations and athletes. He also represents Canadian anti-doping authorities, sits on the disciplinary committee of the laboratories of the World Anti-Doping Agency, and acts as ombudsman for the Canadian Olympic team at the Winter and Summer Olympic games.
A much appreciated conference speaker and training instructor, Yann is often asked to comment on the latest developments in labour and education law.
In 2013, he concluded the second major writing project of his career, managing the Langlois Lawyers team in charge of updating the 7th edition of Le Droit du travail du Québec (Quebec Labour Law), originally written by Robert P. Gagnon, updated by Langlois Lawyers LLP. Yann is currently managing the revision of this publication for its 8th edition.
Heavily involved in the world of high-performance sports, Yann acted as the ombudsman for the Canadian delegation to the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. He performed the same role at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sotchi. He is the current Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Fencing Federation and a member of the Legal Commission of the International Fencing Federation.
Education
LL.B., Civil Law University of Montréal, 1993
Rankings & Recognitions
Areas of Practice
Industries
Publications
Articles
- 2021 – COVID-19 and HyFlex-style distance education: Key takeaways from the ruling on Centre de services scolaires du Lac-Témiscamingue and Syndicat de l’enseignement de l’Ungava et de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
- 2017 – Managing Problem Employees: Should an Administrative or a Disciplinary Measure Be Applied?
- 2014 – Alcohol and Drug Abuse – Irving
- 2013 – Services for Handicapped Students
News
Books
Other Publications
2018 – Treatise on labour and employment law in the Québec Bar School’s collection of instructional materials
2007 – “Les antécédents judiciaires des employés du milieu scolaire” (Criminal Records of Employees in the Education Sector) in Développements récents en droit du travail en éducation 2007 (Recent Developments in Education Labour Law), Cowansville, Les Éditions Yvon Blais
1995 – “Les récents jugements de la Cour d’appel en matière d’intégration des enfants handicapés” (Recent Court of Appeal Decisions Concerning the Integration of Handicapped Children) in Développements récents en droit scolaire 1995 (Recent Developments in Education Law), Cowansville, Les Éditions Yvon Blais
Top of the page