Caroline Bélair

Senior Associate
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

Caroline Bélair

Caroline Bélair

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Biography

Caroline Bélair is a versatile litigation lawyer based in our Montreal office.

Her practice covers a wide range of matters, including corporate and commercial disputes, class actions and administrative law. Ms. Belair represents a diversity of clients, including municipalities, corporations, and insurance companies and their insureds. In addition to acting before the Quebec courts, Ms. Belair also often acts in domestic and international arbitrations.

Ms. Bélair clerked for the Honourable Rosalie Abella of the Supreme Court of Canada in 2016-2017.


Professional experience

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  • B.C.L./LL.B., McGill University, 2015
  • M. Env., Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, 2008
  • B.Sc. (Biology), McGill University, 2005
  • Quebec 2016
  • Ontario 2019

Caroline is acting or has recently acted on behalf of the following clients:

 Class Actions

  • Fédération des Caisses Desjardins, Desjardins Trust and Desjardins Investments in connection with allegations of closet indexing of mutual funds
  • A payment network service provider in connection with allegations of breach of the Quebec Consumer Protection Act (action discontinued)
  • Car dealerships in connection with allegations of breach of the Quebec Consumer Protection Act
  • An insurance company in connection with allegations of breach of legislation on the distribution of financial products and services

Administrative and Public Law

  • Hydro-Québec and Energir in seeking judicial review of decisions of the Quebec Energy Board
  • City of Varennes in defending a challenge to its municipal by-laws (Chaput c. Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., 2022 QCCS 878)
  • A municipality in seeking judicial review of decisions of the Municipal Court

Commercial Litigation and other matters

  • Private corporations in connection with commercial disputes, in domestic and international arbitrations  
  • Insurers in relation to insurance coverage disputes
  • An heir in connection with an estate dispute
  • International arbitration and climate change, by Martin Valasek and Caroline Bélair, published in the Arbitration & ADR Newsletter of the ILO on 17 August 2023
  • Class Actions Comparative Guide, published by Mondaq in May 2023 (contributing author)
  • Internal investigations and disclosure of sensitive information: What protections can legal privileges offer?, by Sophie Melchers and Caroline Bélair, published on Norton Rose Fulbright’s online knowledge platform in May 2020  
  • Executive Employment Law, Edward Aust, Catherine A. Jenner, Michel Legendre, Thomas Laporte Aust, Hélène Bussières, Caroline Bélair, LexisNexis Canada (contributing author from January 2018 to January 2020).
  • Director, Justice Pro Bono
  • Director, Playwrights' Workshop (Montreal) Inc. / Atelier de Dramaturgie de Montréal Inc. (2019-2021)
  • Member, The Advocates' Society
  • Sessional lecturer, McGill University Faculty of Law (Introduction to Corporate Transactions, fall 2019 and fall 2020)
  • English
  • French
  • Spanish