Vincent Rochette

Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

Québec
Canada
T:+1 418 640 5921
Montréal
Canada
T:+1 514 847 4406
Québec
Canada
T:+1 418 640 5921
Montréal
Canada
T:+1 514 847 4406
Vincent Rochette

Vincent Rochette

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Biography

Vincent Rochette is a meticulous and versatile litigator who manages major civil, commercial, administrative and constitutional disputes. His practice focuses primarily on class actions, complex commercial litigation as well as appeal proceedings, including before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Practising out of our Montréal and Québec offices, Mr. Rochette represents a diversified clientele before all levels of courts and several administrative tribunals.

Mr. Rochette is currently leading the defence in many class actions regarding insurance, consumer law, product liability, education, environment as well as human rights and freedoms issues. He obtained several judgments for his clients dismissing class actions both prior to authorization and at trial on the merits.

Alongside his active class action practice, Mr. Rochette acts in complex commercial legal disputes on behalf of Crown corporations and large local and international businesses. He frequently acts in disputes over issues concerning the administration of pension plans or stemming from natural resource development projects. He also regularly intervenes in disputes raising issues of constitutional or administrative law.

Additionally, during the judicial year 2010-2011, Mr. Rochette clerked for Mr. Justice Louis LeBel at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Professional experience

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LL.B., Université Laval, 2009
M.A., Université Laval, 2007
B.A., Université Laval, 2005

  • Quebec 2010

Mr. Rochette has acted recently for the following clients:

Class actions

  • Desjardins General Insurance Inc., The Personal General Insurance Inc. and Desjardins General Insurance Group Inc., in their successful challenge of an application for authorization to bring a class action alleging illegal practices on the part of certain insurers granting volume discounts to disaster restoration contractors (2022 QCCS 714, 2023 QCCA 688)
  • Twelve Quebec universities, in their successful challenge of an application for authorization to institute a class action in which students were seeking partial reimbursement of tuition fees in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (2021 QCCS 2299)
  • The Société des alcools du Québec, in its successful challenge of an application for authorization to institute a class action raising issues over Quebec's wine pricing policy (2018 QCCS 3120; 2020 QCCA 1553)
  • The Québec Port Authority, in an environmental class action that required 50 days of trial. The action was dismissed by the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal (2020 QCCS 928; 2023 QCCA 973)

Commercial disputes

  • Hydro-Québec in a motion for declaratory judgment seeking to obtain confirmation of its rights under the long-term supply contract with Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation Limited (2016 QCCS 3746; 2019 QCCA 1072)
  • Saint-Aubin E&P (Québec) Inc., a subsidiary of the French corporation Maurel & Prom, in successfully challenging the injunctive proceedings brought by Investissements PEA Inc. and Pétrolia Anticosti Inc. regarding the petroleum exploration and production projects on Anticosti Island (2016 QCCS 5316)

Pension plan administration

  • Employers and pension committees, in their successful challenge of applications pertaining to the administration of pension plans (2019 QCTAQ 06730; 2015 QCCA 1392)

Appellate law

  • Yannick Payette and Mammoet Canada Eastern Ltd., in their appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada in a file raising issues pertaining to the enforcement of restrictive covenants (2013 CSC 45)
  • A physicians' alliance, in its intervention before the Supreme Court of Canada in Carter v Canada (Attorney General) (2015 CSC 5)
  • Jean-François Morasse, in his appeal before the Supreme Court of Canada in a contempt-of-court case (2016 CSC 44)
  • Best Lawyers in Canada: Class Action Litigation, 2021-2024; Appellate Practice, 2023-2024, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, 2024 
  • Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers, 2023-2024
  • Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, 2019-2020, 2022-2024: recommended in Class Actions; 2020-2024: recommended in Litigation - Corporate Commercial; 2020-2021, 2024: Litigation - Regulatory & Public Law; 2021, 2023-2024: recommended in Litigation - Product Liability
  • Acritas Stars, 2019-2021 – Designated as an "Independently rated lawyer" 
  • Lexpert Special Edition on Canada's Leading Litigation Lawyers, 2020
  • Acritas Stars, 2018 – Designated as a "Star" lawyer by a panel of 4,300 clients
  • Canadian Bar Association
  • The Advocates' Society

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