Stikeman Elliott saw its genesis in Montréal and continues its reign as one of the city’s premier players in the commercial litigation arena. The general consensus among those in the Montréal community is summed up by one peer’s assertion: “Stikeman is by far [at] the top out of all of the national firms in Montréal, especially in the corporate commercial litigation space.” A client testifies, “They prepared a very complex case, [and it was] against an aggressive and plaintiff that used selective information to distort the truth massively.” The Montréal litigation group, widely considered one of the strongest, deepest and most consistent, is helmed by
Éric Mongeau, who is universally beloved by peers and clients. One such client addresses Mongeau as “[someone who is] excellent at diving into the details of the case and leaving no rocks unturned. [He is a] Master at putting together the facts in a compelling and truthful story, and attacking (more like surgically discrediting) the opponent's logic and position.” Mongeau led a major commercial matter for a consortium of conservationist businessmen in a dispute concerning the purchase of a wilderness reserve. Mongeau triumphed on his clients’ behalf in August of 2023. Yves Martineau is another perennial favorite in the Montréal office. While Martineau has long been a leading figure in the class actions space, he has also earned his stripes as a trial lawyer, a status that was further cemented when he was welcomed as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers within the past year. “Yes, he mostly does class actions, which rarely go to trial, but Yves cut his teeth doing trials and is still considered one of the top pleaders in Montréal,” summarizes one contemporary. Peers also advise, “Keep an eye on
Guillaume Beaudreault-Simard. He is the younger foil to Yves in class actions.” Another peer ventures, I worked with
Éric Azran on estate litigation work, and he was very involved, so although he is recognized for insurance and securities, he does more than that!” Another peer declares, “I had a very heated debate with
Joseph Reynauld in an insolvency dispute and he was very sharp, very strong.” Enthusiasm is also vibrant for
Pierre-Paul Daunais. “Oh, this guy is at the top of his game, without a doubt,” extols one peer. “He had a great result in a case for RBI Tim Hortons concerning an alleged privacy breach on their app.”
