Background

Jean-Pierre Michaud is a litigation partner at our Montréal office. Jean-Pierre graduated from McGill University in both Civil Law and Common Law. He also studied international law at Université Aix-Marseille III (France). Jean-Pierre joined BLG as a student in 2000 and was admitted to the Québec Bar in 2002.

Areas of Practice

• Jean-Pierre is a member of our Commercial Litigation Group. His litigation experience includes contract disputes, professional liability, securities litigation, civil liability, product liability, defamation, privacy issues, media law, fraud and counterfeiting.
• He regularly pleads before various courts in Québec, including the Court of Appeal, the Superior Court, and administrative courts - particularly the access to information Commission.

Professional Experience

Jean-Pierre’s practice mainly focuses on the following areas:

Securities Litigation

• Jean-Pierre regularly represents and defends brokers, investment advisors, financial institutions and investment companies.

Professional Liability

• Jean-Pierre also regularly represents actuaries, transportation brokers and carriers, trustees and credit agencies defending against professional liability claims.

Contractual Liability

• Jean-Pierre regularly counsels businesses involved in contract disputes, in order to establish a winning legal strategy, to negotiate a satisfactory agreement, take an active part in alternative dispute resolution and, as needed, to provide necessary representation before the courts for short or long duration trials.

Extraordinary Remedy

• Jean-Pierre has developed particular expertise in matters of extraordinary remedies including injunctions, seizure before judgment, and Anton Piller orders. He has also acted as Court appointed independent supervising solicitor to the execution of Anton Piller Orders.

Media Law

• Jean-Pierre regularly argues issues related to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and specifically to freedom of expression and freedom of the press, defamation and privacy issues. For example, he represented the intervener Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the Supreme Court for a defamation class action launched by Montréal taxi drivers against a radio host.

Pro bono

• Jean-Pierre is actively involved in pleading pro bono cases. He was first involved with Guy Pratte in the case of Finney v. Barreau du Québec before the Supreme Court of Canada, then he represented a not-for-profit organization before the Superior Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in a defamation issue, and more recently an individual and his small business in the Court of Québec and in the Court of Appeal defending a SLAPP action in defamation.

Rankings and Recognitions

• Winner of the 2008 AJBM Oratory Competition and participant in the oratory competition organized by the Barreau international de droit commun (CIB) in Brussels in 2009
• Finalist at Montréal Young Bar Association “Les leaders de demain” (leaders of tomorrow) gala for attorney of the year in Civil and Commercial Litigation in 2007-2008.

Professional and Community Activities

• Member of Ad IDEM/Canadian Media Lawyers Association
• Member of the Ethics and Image Committee of the Bar of Montréal since 2009
• Member of the Canadian Bar Association
• Member of the Junior Bar Association of Montréal