Guy J. Pratte  

Guy Pratte is Chair of BLG’s National Council (our governing body), and divides his time between our Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal offices. Guy focuses his practice on commercial litigation (including class actions), administrative law and constitutional law, and is consistently recognized as a leading lawyer in these areas by the foremost legal rankings directories, although he is also often retained in complex cases of all types.

A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Guy pleads frequently before the Supreme Court of Canada and also appears regularly before the Superior and Appeal Courts of Ontario and Québec, as well as the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal.

In 2012, Guy was named Advocatus Emeritus by the Québec Bar for "outstanding contributions to the legal profession."

• Appears frequently before the Supreme Court of Canada in a variety of civil matters. Recent appearances include:
• Québec (Attorney General) v. A, [2012] SCCA No. 513
• S.L. v. Commission scolaire des Chênes, [2012] SCJ No. 7
• Canada (Attorney General) v. PHS Community Services Society, [2011] SCC 44
• Bou Malhab v. Diffusion Métromédia CMR Inc., [2011] SCC 9
• Ontario (Public Safety and Security) v. Criminal Lawyers’ Association, [2010] SCC 23
• Canadian National Railway Co. v. Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Co. of Canada, [2008] 3 SCR 453
• Chaoulli v. Québec (Attorney General), [2005] SCC 35
• Finney v. Barreau du Québec, [2004] SCC 36.
• McCracken v. Canadian National Railway Co., [2012] ONCA 445 (Class certification reversed on appeal).
• Independent Counsel for the Canadian Judicial Council in the matter of certain allegations made against ACJ Douglas of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench, 2011-12.
• Lead Counsel for the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney before the Oliphant Commission, 2008-10.
• Lead Counsel for Mr. Jean Pelletier (former Chief of Staff to the Right Honourable Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chrétien) before the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities and the Federal Court of Canada (Pelletier v. Attorney General of Canada, 2008 FC 803).
• Lead Counsel for JTI-Macdonald and RJR Tobacco Companies in connection with ongoing healthcare costs recovery actions brought by the Governments of Ontario and Québec.
• Lead Counsel for JTI Macdonald in respect of ongoing tobacco-related class actions in the Province of Québec.
• Lead Counsel for the Respondent Mercer in Cité de Sherbrooke v. Mercer et Pierre Caron  (pension fund and professional responsibility), 2007-present.
• Lead Counsel for Radio-Canada/Canadian Broadcasting  in myriad matters.
• Lead Counsel for Réjean Hinse in Réjean Hinse v. Attorney General of Canada and Attorney General of Québec 2011 QCCS 1780 (wrongful conviction/exercise of government prerogatives – under appeal).
• Lead Counsel for Mr. Christian Davin, former President of France Animation, before the Court of Appeal in the matter of France Animation et al. v. Robinson et al. 2009 QCCA 2011 (copyright infringement – under appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada).

• Speaker/Author, “Oral Advocacy at the Supreme Court of Canada,” 11th Annual Spring Symposium, Advocates’ Society and American College of Trial Lawyers, 2012.
• Co-Author, “Faire Appel en Cour Suprême : Permission, Mémoire, Plaidoirie” chapter,  LegisPratique:  Recours et procédure en appel, Montréal: LexisNexis Canada, 2011.
• Author, “Lincoln and the Modern Practice of Law,” The Advocates’ Journal,  March 2011.
• Co-Author, “Les Conflits d’intérêts de l’avocat : perspectives québécoises et canadiennes” Droit de la personne:  éthique et droit: nouveaux défis, Cowansville, Québec: Éditions Yvon Blais, 2009.
• Author, “Summary Judgment Motions:  Recent Judicial Developments,” Superior Court of Justice (Ontario) Spring Education Seminar, 2008.
• Author, “Experts in Civil Litigation”:  A Retrospective on Their Role and Independence with a View to Possible Reforms,” Annual Review of Civil Litigation, 169-202, 2008.
• Author, “Experts on Experts,” CCLA Civil Litigation Update, 2007.
• Speaker/Author, “The New Administrative Law – Standards of Review:  Are We There Yet?” Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) Divisional Training Session, October 2007.
• Speaker/Author, “The Role of Legal Counsel in Policy and Decision-Making,” The Canadian Institute’s 6th Annual Advanced Administrative Law & Practice Conference, October 2006.
• Speaker/Author, “The Standard of Review Battle:  Is Anyone Winning?,” Osgoode Professional Development 2nd National Forum entitled “New Directions in Administrative Law and Practice,” 2006.
• Speaker/Author, “The Chaouilli Decision:  What Does it Mean For Canadians?,” Canadian Bar Association Annual Meeting, 2005.
• Speaker/Author, “Chaoulli and the Restructuring of Health Care in Canada,” Osgoode Professional Development One-Day National Summit, 2005.
• Facilitator, “Implications of the Chaoulli Judgment for the Health Insurance Sector,” Northwind Professional Institute’s Annual Health Insurance Strategic Forum, 2005.
• Speaker, “Demystifying the Standard of Review,” Panel Discussion entitled  “Making Sense of the Standard,” Osgoode Professional Development – New Directions in Administrative Law & Practice, The National Forum, 2005.
• Speaker/Author, “Liability of Public Agencies,” Canadian Bar Association National Civil Litigation CLE Conference, 2005.
• Author, “Appeals, Judicial Review and Standard of Review,” Public Law reference materials, Bar Admission Course, Department of Education, Law Society of Upper Canada, 2005.
• Speaker/Author, “Cross-Canada Year in Review:  Key Administrative Law Decisions and Their Implications,” Canadian Institute’s 4th Annual Law Conference, 2004.
• Speaker/Author, “On the Teaching and Learning of Advocacy:  Some Personal and Informal Remarks,” The Advocates’ Society, Task Force on Advocacy, 2004.
• Author, “The Norwich Pharmacal Principle and its Utility in Intellectual Property Litigation,” 24 Advocates’ Quarterly 301, 2001.
• Speaker/Author, “Tests for Judicial Review:  The 2001 Version,” Civil Litigation Updated Conference, 2001.
• Author, “What Makes a Country:  Trudeau’s Future as a Leader,” In Trudeau’s Shadow: The Life and Legacy of Pierre Elliot Trudeau (Cohen and Granatstein, editors), Toronto, 1998.
• Speaker/Author, “The Deemed Undertaking Rule,” Civil Litigation Updated Conference, 1996.
• Author, “To Be or Not to Be an Advocate,” 13 Advocates’ Society Journal No. 19, 1994.
• Author, “The Relevance of Comparative Law:  A Critique of Alan Watson’s ‘The Making of the Civil Law,’” 40 University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review 115.

• Recognized in the 2013 editions of Chambers Global – The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Dispute Resolution:  Québec, Band 1) and The Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada (Corporate Commercial Litigation).
• Named “Ottawa Appellate Law Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in Canada® in its 2013 edition. Also recognized in the 2013 edition (and since 2006) of The Best Lawyers in Canada® (Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Appellate Law, Class Action Litigation, Administrative and Public Law), and named "Ottawa Administrative & Public Law Lawyer of the Year" in its 2012 edition.
• Recognized in the 2012 editions of Chambers Global – The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Dispute Resolution:  Québec, Band 1); the Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada (Corporate Commercial Litigation); Benchmark Canada – The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys (Commercial Litigation); the Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Litigation:  Corporate Commercial, Litigation:  Class Action, Litigation:  Public Law); the Lexpert® Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-border Litigation Lawyers in Canada (Class Action); and the International Who’s Who of Commercial Litigation Lawyers.
• Lexpert® Zenith Award for the Réjean Hinse − wrongful conviction civil lawsuit (Pro Bono Team of the Year – Firm), 2011.
• Profiled in:  “Art of the Case: All or Nothing,” LEXPERT®, September 2009; “L’avocat qu’on s’arrache,”  La Presse, 2008; “Pratte à Porter,” Canadian Lawyer, July 2008.
• Martindale-Hubbell® BV® Distinguished™ 4.4 out of 5 Peer Review Rated.