Québec Legal Weekly March 1–8, 2026

After six years at the helm of Québec's highest court, appointed in June 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she led the digital modernization of the court, reduced delays and publicly defended the funding of the justice system, notably through public exchanges with Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette. Her successor has not yet been named. It will fall to Governor General Mary Simon to appoint one, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The succession is already open.

Official Appointments Confirmed by the Conseil des ministres

February 18, 2026 — several jurists appointed by Québec. The Conseil des ministres proceeded, during its session of February 18, 2026, with the appointment of several jurists. Me Myriam Giroux-Del Zotto is reappointed as President of the Bureau des présidents des conseils de discipline — a position she has held since 2016. Me Sébastien Caron is reappointed as Vice-President of the Tribunal administratif du Québec, real estate division, where he has sat since 2017. Me Sylvain Allard, Me Daphné Armand and Me Marie-Pierre Dubé-Iza are reappointed as members of the Tribunal administratif du travail.

Me Marie-Ève Lavoie is one of six part-time coroners appointed during the same session, alongside Pierre Bleau, David Grenier, Maxime Masson, Marie-Claude Côté and Patricia Doucet. She holds degrees in law and notarial law from the Université de Montréal and is a former president of her faculty's Committee on Access to Justice.

March 9, 2026 — Me Julien Archambault is appointed interim director of the Immigration Legal Aid Bureau at the Centre communautaire juridique de Montréal-Laval, replacing Me Vincent Desbiens.

Public Discipline: Two Separate Cases

Provisional Suspension — Me Serge Dubois (March 4, 2026). The Barreau du Québec published a notice of provisional suspension of the right to practise targeting Me Serge Dubois, who practised in the district of Saint-François. The Conseil de discipline rendered its decision on March 3, 2026; the suspension has been in effect since March 4, 2026. Justice-Quebec.ca published a full analysis of this case in the context of the Faubourg Mena'Sen affair.

Five-Year Disbarment Confirmed — Constantine Andreas Kyres. Constantine Andreas Kyres has been struck from the Roll of the Order for a period of five years. This sanction, which took effect on February 4, marks the conclusion of a lengthy judicial saga, after the Tribunal des professions upheld on appeal the Conseil de discipline's decision rendered on November 22, 2024. The facts date back to 2013-2014, in the context of an international corruption scandal tied to contracts in Libya. The RCMP investigation had used an undercover agent, a fake office in Toronto and a Cadillac equipped with hidden microphones and cameras to record the negotiations.

New Partners — Confirmed on Official Firm Websites

Fasken — 10 new Québec partners (January 1, 2026): Alexandre Belzile, Elissa Brock, Morgan Guyot, Mirna Kaddis, Geneviève Laliberté, Nicolas Mancini, Geneviève Richard, Anthony Sylvain, Émilie Sylvain-Jacques and Julien Verneau. Alexandre Belzile practises civil and commercial litigation at the Québec City office, specializing in construction and manufacturer liability.

BLG — 7 new partners in Montréal (January 1, 2026): Fabio Colias, Valérie Olivier, Noah Weinstein, Amanda Afeich, Antoine Gamache, Marie-Pier Emery and Vanessa Lapointe. Fabio Colias focuses on corporate law and mergers and acquisitions; Valérie Olivier concentrates on business transactions and financing.

Firm Moves: Verified at the Source

KRB — triple announcement (March 6, 2026). The firm welcomes Me Alice Abou-Merhi and Me Dante Trunzo as lawyers, along with Michael Gaon as partner. After 25 years at Kugler Kandestin, Michael Gaon joins the Banking and Financing group. Alice Abou-Merhi, formerly at Dunton Rainville, joins the Litigation group with expertise in occupational health and safety. Dante Trunzo leaves Norton Rose for the Business Law group, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and corporate law.

McCarthy Tétrault — targeted tax transfer (March 4, 2026). After more than six years at Gowling WLG, Me Pouyan Zabihian joins McCarthy Tétrault's tax group in Montréal. He holds a combined BCL/JD from McGill with a minor in economics, and a master's in tax law from HEC Montréal, where he received the Canadian Tax Foundation's academic award for the highest GPA in his cohort.

Lavery — two moves (March 4 and February 11, 2026). Me Marie-Christine Côté joins Lavery as senior lawyer in the health law group, after approximately ten years at TCJ. Lavery also welcomed a new litigation lawyer.

Woods (March 3, 2026). Me Gabrielle Hélène Genest joins the litigation team. Formerly at the Autorité des marchés financiers, her practice covers civil, commercial and administrative matters, with experience in securities litigation and financial regulatory compliance.

DÉCODE (March 5, 2026). Me Samy Amroun is confirmed as a lawyer, trademark agent and patent technical advisor, formerly at Brouillette Legal.

De Grandpré Chait (March 2, 2026). Me Frédérique Cartier-Côté is now listed on the firm's team with a 2026 admission to the Barreau du Québec. She focuses on litigation and construction law.

Wave of newly called lawyers across several firms (March 6, 2026): Me Emilie Poon-Béland (DWF Québec), Me Ève Daigle (Morency, litigation), Me Laurie Marcoux (Dunton Rainville, construction and real estate litigation), Me Alice Touzin (Dunton Rainville, municipal law and labour law), Me Marylou Tremblay (Stein Monast, commercial litigation and civil liability), Me Ariane Henry (Stein Monast, corporate law and intellectual property). All confirmed on the respective firm websites.

Barreau du Québec — Institutional Life

2026 Elections. The 2026 election period runs from February 26 to May 8, 2026. Five positions are open: two for the Montréal section, one for the Québec City section, one for the Arthabaska-Longueuil-Richelieu sections and one for the Bedford-Mauricie-Saint-François sections. The deadline to submit a candidacy is March 24, 2026 at 4 p.m. Voting begins May 1, 2026.

Annual Registration. Members have until April 1, 2026, to register on the Roll of the Order for the 2026-2027 year and pay their dues, or face administrative disbarment.

Concrete Reform: Mandatory Mediation at Small Claims

This is the most concrete procedural change of the week for civil litigation practitioners. Effective March 2, 2026, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette announced the rollout of mandatory mediation and automatic arbitration for claims of $5,000 or less at the Small Claims Division in the judicial districts of Joliette, Terrebonne, Saint-Maurice and Labelle.

The settlement rate in mediation for these types of cases is estimated at 60%, and the targeted timelines are three to nine months, compared to 28 to 38 months currently in these districts.

What This Week Really Says

Québec's legal market in early March 2026 presents two simultaneous faces: a judiciary in transition with the announced departure of Chief Justice Savard, which opens a succession at the highest level, and a very active firm market with targeted transfers in high-value specialties — tax, health law, intellectual property, litigation. In the background, the small claims reform deployed on March 2 marks a concrete transformation of Québec's procedural landscape, particularly relevant for regional civil litigation firms.

Sources: Court of Appeal of Québec — La Presse — Radio-Canada — Barreau du Québec — Droit-Inc — Government of Québec — Official websites of Fasken, BLG, KRB, McCarthy Tétrault, Lavery, Woods, DÉCODE, De Grandpré Chait, DWF Québec, Morency, Dunton Rainville, Stein Monast — Justice-Quebec.ca.

This site does not provide legal advice. The information published is based on public sources, official firm websites and cited journalistic sources. Despite our verification efforts, errors may occur in the compilation of this information. In case of any discrepancy between the content of this article and the official websites of the institutions, firms or organizations mentioned, the official sources always prevail. We encourage readers to verify any information directly with the relevant sources before relying on it.