Background

Alexander De Zordo is a partner at our Montréal office. Alex was admitted to the Québec Bar in 1993 and is a graduate of the Université de Sherbrooke Law School. He also has an undergraduate degree in Honours Political Science from Concordia University and completed the Canadian Securities Course from the Canadian Securities Institute.

Areas of Practice

• Alex practises in our Commercial Litigation Group.
• He is the head of the Litigation Department of the Montréal office and the regional leader of the Fraud Law Group. He is also an active member of the following groups: Banking Litigation, Insolvency and Restructuring, Intellectual Property Litigation and Securities Litigation.
• His practice is focused on complex litigation, arbitration and class actions in areas of commercial and financial fraud, fidelity, banking, bankruptcy and insolvency, commercial disputes, real estate, shareholder disputes and directors' liability, with particular expertise in civil and commercial fraud detection, investigation, recovery and prevention.

Professional Experience

• Has regularly pleaded before all courts of law in Québec and some administrative tribunals.
• Has represented and worked with numerous banks and other commercial lenders, corporate victims of fraud, forensic accountants, fraud examiners, investigators and police authorities, bankruptcy trustees, receivers and interim receivers, high tech companies, individuals and companies of every size in the context of injunctions, seizures, Anton Piller orders, arbitration, trials and class actions.
• Has specialized expertise in all matters of white collar fraud including: money and asset tracing, money laundering, occupational fraud and embezzlement, financial statement fraud, bank fraud, securities fraud, bills of exchange, letters of credit, fraudulent transactions, preferences, settlements and conveyances in a bankruptcy context, paulian actions, unfair competition, IP fraud, copyright infringement and passing off.

Professional and Community Activities

• Member of the BLG Regional Management Committee in Montréal, and Regional Litigation Department Manager
• Regional leader of Fraud Law Group in Montréal
• Regional Chair of the BLG Pro Bono Committee in Montréal and member of the National Pro Bono Committee
• President of the board of directors of Pro Bono Québec
• Member of the Canadian Bar Association, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Division
• Active member of the International Bar Association
• Member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
• Member of the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators
• Volunteer board member of the Équipe de competition de ski de St-Sauveur
• Former board member of St. John's Ambulance, Québec Council

Speaking Engagements and Publications

• Co-speaker for the CBA (banking section) on the Jackson matter: bank liability towards third parties broadened? (Nov. 2011)
• Lecturer (professional development) for the Québec Order of Chartered Accountants (since 2004): Internal fraud; detection, investigation and legal aspects
• Co-chair of ISC Committee session at 2010 IBA annual conference (Vancouver): ‘When a sale of goods goes South – freezing orders, cancellation of contract, damages, business interruption’
• Speaker at 16th Annual Canadian ACFE conference: ‘Preparing and dealing with an investigation by outside authorities’ (May 2010)
• Co-speaker at 16th Annual Canadian ACFE conference: ‘The Fraud Examiner as Expert Witness – the lawyer’s perspective’ (May 2010)
• Speaker for Litigation Committee session at 2008 IBA annual conference (Buenos Aires): ‘United States vs the rest of the world – who is winning the war on litigation?’
• Speaker and lecturer for professional development seminars offered to members of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners: 'How to gather information in a fraud investigation from a legal and forensic point of view'; 'Legal recourses that maximize recovery'; 'Identity Theft, mortgage fraud and money laundering'
• Speaker for the Montreal Institute of Internal Auditors on the role of counsel in fraud matters
• Guest lecturer for MBA Litigation Management course at Concordia University (since 2006)
• Speaker at the 2006 annual TMAC conference in Montréal: 'Identity Theft – protect your treasure'
• Speaker and panellist for the Annual Canadian Institute Conference on Money Laundering: Assuring Compliance Through the Implementation of Concrete Measures
• Articles and conference materials: Fraud Fighting Remedies in Canada vs. those in the U.S.: which forum offers better recourse for victim of fraud (2008); Fraud Concerns for Treasury Managers (2008); Dealing with an investigation by outside authorities (2007); Keeping your client out of jail: Canadian perspectives on compliance (2006); Civil Proceedings in a Fraud context (2005); Priorité de l'État : Inopposable en cas de prise en paiement, L'Extra Judiciaire, December 1999; Plaideurs : Quoi faire (et ne pas faire) devant les tribunaux - conseils pratiques, L'Extra Judiciaire, October 2000.