Vincent de l'Étoile
Lawyer, Partner - Montréal
Vincent de l’Étoile is a partner of the litigation group and he is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. He has specialized mainly in the fields of civil and commercial litigation, class actions, product liability, consumer law and competition law. Vincent is a creative and dedicated lawyer combining pragmatism and depth to satisfy clients’ needs.
He is leading cases, advises and assists his clients in various fields. His practice is mainly characterized by the defence of the rights and interests of clients in industries such as banking and payment operations, manufacturing, telecommunications, air transportation and pharmaceuticals. Vincent’s skills are regularly put into practice in cases having commercial, strategic and economic implications. Vincent also assists his clients in non-contentious matters in relation to the compliance of their activities, operations and business practices.
Vincent represented various businesses and institutions before judicial courts in first instance and at the appellate level, including before the Supreme Court of Canada. Vincent also appeared before trial and appellate courts of other Canadian provinces for specific mandates.
Vincent frequently writes on class actions matters and legal developments, having been cited by the Court of Appeal of Quebec, the Superior Court of Quebec and the Court of Quebec, as well as he speaks at legal conferences.
In 2015, Vincent was designated as one of Canada’s leading lawyers under 40 years old by Lexpert Rising Stars, Leading Lawyers Under 40. In 2016, he was ranked as “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation Canada and listed as a “Litigation Lawyer to Watch” in the Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Litigation Lawyers in Canada. Since 2017, Vincent has been recognized as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Canada Litigation, and is listed since 2017 in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory in class actions and competition law. Vincent is also featured since 2019 in the Chambers Canada Guide by Chambers & Partners for Class Actions (Defence) – Nationwide/Canada, and for Litigation (General Commercial) – Quebec. In 2019, Vincent was also recognized with the distinction “Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers” by Lexpert. Since 2021, Vincent is listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada directory in relation to class actions and product liability.
Education
Trial Advocacy Seminar, Quebec Bar, 2010
Law Degree, LL.B., Université Laval, 2004
Rankings & Recognitions
- Best Lawyers in Canada 2024
- Benchmark Litigation Canada 2023
- Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2023
- Chambers Canada 2023
- The Best Lawyers in Canada 2023
- Benchmark Litigation Canada 2022
- Langlois shortlisted in three Benchmark Litigation Canada Awards categories
- Vincent de l’Étoile and Sean Griffin Recognized as Stand-Out Lawyers by Thomson Reuters
- Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2022
- Chambers Canada 2022
- The Best Lawyers in Canada 2022
- Benchmark Litigation Canada 2021
- Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2021
- Chambers Canada 2021
- The Best Lawyers in Canada 2021
- Benchmark Litigation Canada 2020
- The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2020
- Lexpert Special Edition – Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers 2019
- Chambers Canada 2020
- The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2019
- Benchmark Litigation Canada 2019
- Chambers Canada 2019
- The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2018
- Benchmark Canada 2018
- The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2017
- Benchmark Canada 2017
- Benchmark Canada 2016
Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Litigation Lawyers in Canada, 2016 – Litigation Lawyer to Watch
Areas of Practice
Representative Work
Financial institution – Regulated activities – Consumer law – Financial products and services – Competition law
Represents a major financial institution in connection with a number of class actions involving fees associated with the use of credit cards, transaction fees and the distribution of insurance products. In addition to the technical and regulatory issues specific to this industry, these proceedings involve the Consumer Protection Act and the Competition Act.
Industrial Equipment Manufacturer – Product Liability – Product Performance and Warranties
Represents manufacturers of agricultural and construction equipment and heavy vehicles in connection with various legal actions involving issues related to the conception, design and performance of a variety of products, as well as the application of legal and contractual warranties. Assists and advises the client in relation to claims brought in various Canadian provinces.
Air Carrier – Regulated Activities – Consumer Law and Civil Liability
Represents an air carrier in the context of a class action and other judicial disputes involving pricing policies and conditions of transportation, damages claims, as well as the compliance of its business practices with the applicable legal and regulatory framework. Theses mandates involve a specialized scheme in relation to a technical and complex industry.
Manufacturers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) – Competition Law & Antitrust – Civil Liability – Class Actions
Represent various manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers in the electronic, technology and automobile industries the context of class actions involving price fixing and anticompetitive agreement in relation to components and products directed to distribution chains or the consumer market. These cases often involve teams over various jurisdictions and coordination on a national and international basis.
Telecommunication – Regulated Activities – Consumer Law – Class Actions – Penal Law
Represents a telecommunication company in various class actions and alleged penal offences in relation to consumer law issues, in addition to other matters pertaining to its dealings with its clientele, business partners and other industry stakeholders. These mandates often involved technical and complex issues in a specialized regulation scheme and require the collaboration and integration of resources and various teams.
Human Rights and Freedoms – Supreme Court of Canada – Pro Bono
Represented the Young Bar Association of Montreal as an Intervener before the Supreme Court of Canada in the matter of McCormick v. Fasken Martineau DuMoulin, [2014] 2 S.C.R. 108, in the context of a pro bono mandate. That case dealt with mandatory retirements policies in the legal profession and alleged discrimination and infringements to Human Rights principles in accordance with the law of British Columbia and globally.
Publications
Articles
- 2023 – Bill 29: New obligations to consumers regarding the quality, durability and repairability of goods and amendments to the Consumer Protection Act. Manufacturers and merchants, get ready…
- 2023 – Québec government tables bill to streamline access to justice in civil cases (and amend civil procedure)
- 2022 – Confidentiality of documents and commercial interests in a class action: Criteria and proof on a balance of probabilities
- 2020 – Class actions: Supreme Court of Canada upholds the status quo over authorization criteria in Quebec
- 2020 – Should I stay or should I go…? The decision in Micron Technology Inc. and the suspension of multijurisdictional class actions
- 2020 – COVID-19: calculation of prescription periods, forfeiture periods and procedural deadlines to resume on September 1, 2020
- 2020 – The Meubles Léon decision – Advertising credit: merchants, beware!
- 2018 – Cannabis: “Consumer” Protection
- 2018 – Are Repetitive Class Actions Res Judicata or Abusive (And What Future for the Authorization Stage)?
- 2018 – Regulation Respecting the Application of the Consumer Protection Act and Entry into Force of the New Provisions of the Act: Countdown to July 2019
- 2018 – Loyalty Programs, Consumer Credit and Advertising to Consumers: New Rules for Quebec Merchants
- 2018 – Class Actions: 2017 Recap & 2018 Forecast
- 2017 – Class Actions Are (Not) Getting Some Appeal in Quebec
- 2017 – Bill 134: Amendments to the Consumer Protection Act and Novel Issues for Quebec Merchants
- 2017 – Class Actions: 2016 Recap & 2017 Forecast
- 2016 – Multijurisdictional Class Actions: Fewer Boundaries
- 2016 – The Supreme Court of Canada Confirms the Primacy of the Professional Secrecy of Lawyers and Notaries Over Government Audits
- 2016 – Changes Governing Class Actions in Quebec
- 2015 – Multijurisdictional Class Actions: the Companion Case’s Evidentiary Record Cannot be Blindly Imported into Quebec
- 2015 – The Limit to the Insurer’s Subrogatory Action Against the Manufacturer
- 2014 – Small Claims: Upcoming Increase of the Ceiling to $15,000
- 2014 – Engaging and Competing in Conspiracy Class Actions in Quebec
- 2014 – Class Actions: the Supreme Court of Canada Reaffirms the Flexibility of the Conditions for the Authorization of a Class Action in Quebec
- 2013 – Class Actions and the Securities Act
- 2013 – The Supreme Court of Canada Confirms Amounts of Settlements are Protected by Settlement Privilege
News
- 2023 – Galaxy’s U.S. Move Risks New Delay From Lawsuit Linked To Luna
- 2018 – Vincent de l’Étoile Quoted in Canadian Lawyer Article on the Superior Court’s New Class Action Division in Montreal
- 2017 – Vincent de l’Étoile Comments on the Agreement Between Quebec and Airbnb in The Lawyer’s Daily
- 2017 – Vincent de l’Étoile quoted in Canadian Lawyer
- 2015 – Vincent de l’Étoile Named a Leading Lawyer by LEXPERT® Rising Stars
- 2013 – Three New Partners
- 2009 – Important Victory in the Canadian Royalties Case
- 2009 – Langlois Secures Major Arbitration Victory for Junior Mining Company Canadian Royalties
- 2009 – Another Victory in the Supreme Court
Video
Other Publications
2022 – “L’action collective et le droit de la consommation : une alliance pérenne” (Class Proceedings and Consumer Protection Law: A Lasting Alliance), in Les 50 ans de la Loi sur la protection du consommateur et l’évolution du droit de la consommation (Fondation Claude Masse), co-authored with Rosalie Jetté and Maxime Nasr, Yvon Blais Editions, 2022, p. 55.
2022 – “Le commerce électronique” (e-Commerce), co-authored with Justine Brien, in Guide de démarrage de l’entreprise, 3rd Edition, Young Bar of Montreal, p. 71.
2021 – “Les paramètres de la chose jugée et de l’abus en regard d’une action collective visant un même sujet qu’un recours analogue antérieurement rejeté” (The parameters of res judicata and abuse of process with regard to class proceedings having previously been dismissed), Repères, August 2021, Yvon Blais Editions, EYB2021REP3314.
2021 – “La dualité de traitement des allégations et de la preuve de l’intimé au stade de l’autorisation d’exercer une action collective ” (Dual Treatment for the Allegations of the Claim and the Evidence Adduced by the Defendant at the Authorization Stage), Repères, March 2021, Yvon Blais Editions, EYB2021REP3245.
2020 – “Aggregate Damages in Quebec Competition Class Action : Solving the Paradox”, co-authored with Lana Rackovic, Colloque national sur l’action collective, Développements récents au Québec, au Canada et aux États-Unis, Service de la qualité de la profession, Barreau du Québec, Volume 480, Yvon Blais Editions, 2020, p. 55.
2020 – “L’autorisation d’exercer une action collective requiert toujours la démonstration du fondement des causes d’action invoquées en fonction du droit applicable” (Class authorization always incumbent on demonstrating the basis of the proposed causes of action as per the applicable law), co-authored with Sandra Desjardins, Repères, April 2020, Yvon Blais Editions, EYB2020REP2696.
2020 – “COVID-19 : l’arrêté 2020-4251 et la suspension des délais de prescription extinctive, de déchéance et de procédure en matière civile” (Covid-19 : Order 2020-4251 and the suspension of prescription, limitations and procedural delays in civil matters), co-authored with Laurence Angers-Routhier, Repères, March 2020, Yvon Blais Editions, EYB2020REP2938.
2019 – Contributor: “Commentaire sur la décision Duguay c. Compagnie General Motors du Canada – La divulgation de la preuve dans le cadre de l’action collective”, co-authored with Victoria Lemieux-Brown and Antoine Veillette, Repères, August 2019, Éditions Yvon Blais, EYB2019REP2812.
2019 – Contributor: “Maureen Bickley, Product Liability Case Law Update” (Section Canada), Product Liability Conference, Defense Research Institute, Chicago, IL, 2019.
2018 – “J’ai trouvé un ami… Quel rôle pour l’amicus dans l’action collective québécoise?” (I found A Friend… What Role for the Amicus in Class Proceedings in Quebec), Colloque national sur l’action collective, Développements récents au Québec, au Canada et aux États-Unis, Service de la formation continue, Barreau du Québec, Volume 441, Yvon Blais Editions, 2018, p. 1.
2018 – “Un pas vers la reconnaissance de la réclamation de dommages punitifs de façon autonome dans l’action collective : mais où allons-nous?” (A Step Toward Autonomous Punitive Damages Claims in Class Proceedings: But Where Are We Going?), co-authored with Marie Rondeau, Repères, March 2018, Yvon Blais Editions, EYB2018REP2427.
2018 – Contributor: “Adam M. Shienvold, Product Liability Case Law Update” (Section Canada), Product Liability Conference, Defense Research Institute, Chicago, IL, 2018.
2017 – “L’action collective est-elle votre prochaine locataire? Enjeux et réflexions pour le bailleur commercial” (Is a Class Action Your Next Tenant? Issues for the Commercial Landlord), co-authored with Anne-Marie Hébert, Le bail commercial, 3rd Edition, La Collection Blais, Volume 27, Cowansville, Yvon Blais Editions, 2017, p. 123.
2017 – “La communication avec une partie non représentée dans le cadre d’une action collective” (Communicating with Self-Represented Litigants in Class Proceedings), co-authored with Annie Gallant, La Référence, June 2017, Yvon Blais Editions, EYB2017REP2248.
2017 – “Judgment-Sharing Agreements”, co-authored with Sandra Desjardins, Colloque national sur l’action collective, Développements récents au Québec, au Canada et aux États-Unis, Service de la formation continue, Barreau du Québec, Volume 428, 2017, p. 1.
2017 – Contributor : “D. Christopher Robinson, Product Liability Case Law Update” (Canada Section), Product Liability Conference, Defense Research Institute, Chicago, IL, 2017.
2017 – “L’action collective n’altère pas la nécessaire démonstration du lien de causalité” (Class Action Proceedings Not Altering the Need to Prove Causation), co-authored with Sean Griffin, La Référence, January 2017, Yvon Blais Editions, EYB2017REP2106.
2016 – “The Exclusivity of the Montreal Convention in Class Actions Arising From International Air Transportation”, Class Action Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, The Canadian Institute, Toronto, 2016, p. 13.
2016 – “L’usage des règles relatives au déroulement de l’action collective au stade de l’autorisation sous le nouveau Code de procédure civile” (The provisions pertaining to the conduct of a class action at the authorization stage under the new Code of Civil Procedure), co-authored with Anne-Marie Hébert, Repères, July 2016, Yvon Blais Editions, EYB2016REP1979.
2016 – “Quebec’s Singular Class Action Authorization Regime Changes – An Overview”, For the Defense, Vol. 58, No. 5, May 2016, Defense Research Institute, Chicago, IL, 2016, p. 77.
2016 – “Récents développements en droit de l’action collective au Québec” (Recent Developments in Class Actions in Quebec), co-authored with Benoît Marion, Colloque national sur l’action collective, Développements récents au Québec, au Canada et aux États-Unis, Service de la formation continue, Barreau du Québec, Volume 410, 2016, p. 1.
2016 – “Action collective – Risques et solutions RH” (“Class Actions – HR Risks and Answers”), co-authored with Catherine Galardo, Revue RH (CRHA-CRIA), Volume 19, No 1, January-February-March 2016, p. 44.
2016 – “The Consumer Protection Act Fuels Automobile Misrepresentation Class Action in Quebec: Misfire or Upcoming Trend?”, co-authored with Antoine Brylowski, Class Action Journal, Volume X, No. 4, Toronto, Federated Press, 2016, p. 667.
2016 – Contributor : “Mark D. Katz, Product Liability Case Law Update” (Canada Section), Product Liability Conference, Defense Research Institute, Chicago, IL, 2016.
2015 – “Récents développements en recours collectifs au Québec” (Recent Developments in Class Actions in Quebec), co-authored with Benoît Marion, Colloque national sur les recours collectifs, Développements récents au Québec, au Canada et aux États-Unis, Service de la formation continue, Barreau du Québec, Volume 397, 2015, p. 147.
2015 – “The Limit to the Insurer’s Subrogatory Action Against the Manufacturer”, co-authored with Renée-Maude Vachon-Therrien, Canadian Insurance Law Reporter, March 2015, No. 771, Wolters Kluwer CCH, 2015, p. 1.
2014 – “Le rappel de produit : commentaires sur la responsabilité” (Product Recall: Perspective on Liability), Responsabilité Civile – En bref, No. 26 – October 2014, Yvon Blais Editions, 2014, p. 2.
2014 – “Engaging and Competing in Conspiracy Class Actions in Quebec: Overview of Applicable Legal Principles”, co-authored with Chantal Chatelain, Colloque national sur les recours collectifs, Développements récents au Québec, au Canada et aux États-Unis, Service de la formation continue, Barreau du Québec, Volume 380, 2014, p. 405.
2013 – Vincent de l’Étoile, “Le commerce électronique” (e-Commerce), in Guide de démarrage de l’entreprise, 2nd Edition, Young Bar Association of Montreal, 2013, p. 54.
2013 – “Recours collectif : géométrie du droit d’appel”, co-authored with Chantal Chatelain, Colloque national sur les recours collectifs, Développements récents au Québec, au Canada et aux États-Unis, Service de la formation continue, Barreau du Québec, Volume 362, 2012, p. 109.
2013 – “Interrogations sur l’interrogatoire avant l’autorisation d’exercer un recours collectif”, co-authored with Chantal Chatelain, Repères, March 2013, EYB2013REP1331.
2012 – Contributor: “Legal Aspects of Doing Business in North America” (Quebec Section), Release 1 – 2012, Juris Publishing, Huntington, New York, 2012, p. QU-1.
2012 – “Employment Law Class Action: Uncommon Common Issues “, co-authored with Chantal Chatelain and John C. Field, Développements récents en recours collectifs, Service de la formation continue, Barreau du Québec, Volume 345, 2012, p. 97.
2011 – “L’injonction collective : le recours collectif et l’injonction, un mariage heureux?”, co-authored with Chantal Chatelain, Revue du Barreau, Tome 70, Printemps 2011, p. 63
2010 – “Les 4.2 critères pour autoriser l’exercice d’un recours collectif”, co-authored with Chantal Chatelain, Développements récents en recours collectifs, Service de la formation continue, Barreau du Québec, Volume 327, 2010, p. 207
2009 – “Survol de la jurisprudence marquante de la dernière année en matière de recours collectif : de l’avis aux membres à la rémunération du représentant…”, co-authored with Chantal Chatelain, Développements récents en recours collectifs, Service de la formation continue, Barreau du Québec, Volume 312, 2009, p. 161.
2009 – Mini-colloque “L’heure juste sur l’affaire BCE à la suite du jugement motivé de la Cour suprême du Canada : quand acteurs et institution de prestige se rencontrent”, co-authored with Stefan Chripounoff, Point de Mire, Volume 14, no. 4, July 2009, p. 7.
2005 – “L’investissement étranger en capital de risque au Canada” (Foreign Venture Capital Investment in Canada), co-authored with Serge Kronström, Revue Action Canada – France, Volume XIII, p. 18.
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