Marie-Claude Martel

I have been working with the founding partners of Forseti for over 15 years. I myself became a partner at Forseti in 2022. Over time, we have developed a chemistry and an efficient working method based on the strengths of each team member. Teamwork is definitely one of our firm’s greatest strengths.

personally stand out for the rigour of my analyses, my in-depth knowledge of each of the cases on which I work, my attention to detail, my integrity, my creativity and my frankness. I enjoy the challenge of developing strategies to achieve our clients’ goals.

I place great importance on alternative dispute resolution methods and have specialized in these areas in during my practice, being an accredited arbitrator and mediator. These are additional tools in my kit to help me properly guide our clients towards the mode of settlement that best suits their needs while being competent to act in each of these forums. I have appeared before most of the courts in Quebec, including the Court of Appeal of Quebec, and have acted as counsel in major arbitrations and mediations and as an arbitrator in other cases.

Professional involvement and recognition

• Lecturer in conventional arbitration at the master’s program in alternative dispute resolution at the Université de Sherbrooke (2016 to present)
• Recipient of the Women in Law Award in the Arbitration/Canada category from Lawyer Monthly magazine (August 2021)
• Member of the Institut de Médiation et d’Arbitrage du Québec (IMAQ); more specifically, member of the ADRIC’s arbitration committee and national commercial arbitration rules review committee (2012 to 2015)
• Chair of the Table sectorielle Arbitrage de l’IMAQ (2020 to date)
• Founder of the Forum des arbitres de l’IMAQ (2020)
• Member of the Canadian Bar Association and member of the Executive Committee of the ADR Section of the Quebec Division of the CBA (2018 to present)
• Lecturer in contract law at the Université de Sherbrooke’s bachelor of law program (W2011 and W2014)
• Representative of the Comité d’arbitrage de l’IMAQ who took part in the presentation of the IMAQ’s brief to the Commission des Institutions, at the National Assembly, as part of the hearings on Bill 28 to establish the new Code of Civil Procedure (September 10, 2013)

Social commitments

• Member of the Governing Board of École primaire Gilles-Vigneault in Montréal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville
• Participation in the Tremblant’s 24h walking and running challenge, 2016 and 2018 editions (Team ATC) to benefit the Fondation Charles Bruneau, the Ottawa Senators Foundation and the Tremblant’s 24h event for sick children

Representative mandates

• I represented a real estate developer in a major construction and design defect case, dealing with numerous technical experts and multiple opposing parties.
• I have litigated precedent-setting cases, including regarding substitution and reduction of the basis of multi-million dollar legal construction mortgages.
• I represented an individual in a contract fraud dispute involving over $1 million.
• I have acted as an arbitrator in contractual and co-ownership disputes.

PUBLICATIONS AND CONFERENCES

• Contributor to the Arbitration Matters blog (arbitrationmatters.com) reviewing pan-Canadian arbitration case law (July 2021 to present)
• Moderator of the Plein Feux sur le Med-Arb! conference presented by the CBA-Quebec, ADR section (February 17, 2021)
• Panelist at the Les PRD à votre secours! conference presented by the CBA-Quebec, ADR section (September 28, 2020)
• Panelist at the commercial arbitration symposium presented by the IMAQ’s arbitration committee: “How do we ensure cost-effective and efficient commercial arbitration?” (May 24, 2013)
• Essay: How do Quebec courts allow the ideals of conventional arbitration to be realized? (2011) – Université de Sherbrooke

What you should know about me