Richard Vachon is a partner and chair of the management committee at Woods LLP and practices predominantly in the fields of civil and commercial litigation, including class actions, securities litigation, defamation and employment law. A member of the Quebec Bar since 2002, he pleads regularly before the courts of first instance and the Court of Appeal, as well as before arbitration tribunals.
A number of Quebec’s major companies have relied on Richard for resolving disputes of strategic significance for their operations and reputation. He is praised for his strategic approach to the litigation process in matters of utmost importance to his clients, as well as for his skill in managing legal teams in some of the firm’s largest and most complex cases. Most reputable legal publications, such as Benchmark Litigation, The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, and Best Lawyers in Canada, list Richard as one of the leading litigators in Quebec.
Richard was the Managing Partner of the firm from 2015 to 2018. For many years, he was a co-coach of the McGill University team for the Laskin Moot Competition. Involved in his community, he is an ambassador of Éducaloi, a leading charity in the movement to improve access to justice in Québec.
Representative cases include:
- Represented Chrysler Canada Inc. and CIBC Mellon Trust Company in a $165 million action against Coopers & Lybrand and others in connection with auditors’ professional liability.
- Successfully secured the dismissal of the motion to authorize a class action against our client Honda Canada in a case alleging lack of durability of paint, maintaining this result on appeal.
- Represented the biggest global provider of catering services for aircrafts and trains in the context of a complex commercial arbitration.
- Represented Saputo Inc. and Lino Saputo Sr. in a multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit instituted against the Canadian media.
- Represented the Irving Group in contesting the execution of an injunction order (Anton Piller).
- Acts for Quebecor in several litigation matters, including a $150 million lawsuit brought by Bell Canada and its subsidiaries in connection with the interruption of service of the TVA Sports channel.
- Acts as lead counsel in various claims over contract interpretation, product liability and construction matters in a PPP project.
- Represents several high-level executives in the field of employment law.
- Represents several institutions and individuals in matters of media law and defamation suits.
Updated April 2024
