David L. Cameron

Retired Judge of the Court of Québec, counsel, certified mediator and arbitrator

I joined Forseti in 2025 to carry on my practice as a certified arbitrator and mediator and as counsel.

Over a period of 24 years, I practiced as a lawyer specializing in construction, insurance and commercial litigation. I was appointed judge of the Court of Quebec in 2008 where I served for 15 years.

After my retirement I rejoined the bar to practice in arbitration and mediation in matters concerning construction, insurance and shareholder recourses.

I am happy to offer my services as counsel to the dynamic team at Forseti.

Professional implications and recognition

• Sessional lecture at the McGill University Faculty of Law in the procedure and evidence course.
• Arbitrator of accounts for the Quebec Bar
• Invited professor at the faculty of Design of the University of Montreal in the Landscape Architecture programme.
• Professor at the École de formation professionnelle du Barreau du Québec in insurance and successions.
• Member of the jury for the Prix de la Justice given by the Minister of Justice under the presidence of the Chief Justices of Quebec, the Honourable Michel Robert and the Honourable Nicole Duval-Hesler.
• Mentoring of students of Quebec law faculties at the Court of Quebec.
• Judge in inter-faculty mooting competitions.
• Member of the Access to Justice in the English Language Committee of the Montreal Bar.
• Member of the Liaison committee with the Court of Quebec, civil division, of the Montreal Bar.
• Member of the insurance-law subcommittee of the joint committee of the Chamber of Notaries and the Bar of Quebec to propose corrections to the English version of the Civil Code of Quebec.
• Member of the Ethics and Professional Practice Committee of the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC)
• Active member of the Institut de médiation et d’arbitrage du Québec (IMAQ).
• Speaker in French and in Portuguese at conferences at UQAM and at Brazilian universities don the subject of consumer protection law.
• Invited professor at UQAM presenting at consumer protection law courses.
• Instructing judge at the University of Montreal training programme for Chinese judges.
• Member of the Quebec section of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA)

Social commitments

• Volunteer for a youth string orchestra and piano accompanist for young violinists on the South Shore of Montreal.
• Organiser of an annual student concert at the Salle Ogilvy in Montreal.
• Organisation and participant as official in regional swimming competitions.
• Member of the Board of the Montreal Arts Club

Principal Practice Areas

• As a lawyer prior to my judicial appointment, I practiced chiefly in construction law and insurance, representing professionals, builders and subcontractors. My corporate commercial practice included shareholder disputes and contractual matters.
• As a judge of the Court of Quebec I practiced in all the jurisdictions of the Civil Chamber including statutory appeals and fiscal contestations. Over 15 years at the Court I wrote over 1,200 motivated judgments across a wide range of issues.
• In my current practice as a dispute resolution specialist and counsel, I seek to apply my accumulated knowledge and pass on what I have learned to lawyers who are making their way in the practice.

Representative mandates

• Acted on behalf of insurers in major litigations related to the failures of the two first Montreal Olympic Stadium roofs.
• Represented, successfully, on behalf of liability insurers, an engineering firm in a major business interruption file in a pulp mill machinery failure.
• Successfully acted on behalf of an liability insurer in a landmark case in the field of the duty to defend.

Recent mandates and appointments, 2023-2026

• Conciliator and arbitrator (Med-arb) in a major infrastructure case (Quebec) concerning the remuneration of a consortium of design professionals. Dispute resolved at the conciliation stage.
• Mediator in an infrastructure case (Quebec) concerning the fees of design professionals in connection with changes to the scope of works. Dispute successfully resolved.
• Conducted several mediations in cases falling within the jurisdiction of the Court of Québec, with a high settlement rate.
• Appointed claims adjudicator by the Superior Court of Québec in a class action (case number 500-06-001109-202).
• Provided counsel services to a firm acting for the representative in a collective action in the public transport industry.
• Mediator in a dispute concerning the liquidation of an estate. Conflict resolved.
• Mediator in a claim by a contractor for delays against a public infrastructure body in Quebec (critical path analysis), as well as in recourse claims by the client against the contractor (mediation ongoing).
• Arbitrator appointed under an insurance contract to determine the value of property destroyed in accidental circumstances. Arbitral award rendered.
• Arbitrator appointed under an insurance contract to determine the value of a material loss (settlement reached at the arbitration protocol stage).
• Mediator in an international commercial dispute concerning the design and sale of industrial equipment (contract of enterprise). Dispute successfully resolved.
• Mediator in a dispute between a public body (Quebec) and a construction contractor regarding cost overruns arising from the discovery of contaminated soil during excavation work for a hospital extension (The parties opted to proceed with a public dispute resolution process).
• Facilitator appointed by the Canadian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation in cases involving ethical complaints against mediators.
• Arbitrator appointed in a subrogated claim by an insurer for the theft of equipment parts in transit.
• Arbitrator appointed in a dispute between an insurer and syndicate of co-owners regarding the value of repair costs following an incident.

Publication and conferences

Throughout my career as a lawyer and judge, I have always been actively involved in outreach such as teaching courses in Law faculties and at the Bar training school. I frequently speak and participate in panel discussions on a variety of topics for associations, universities and the Bar’s continuing professional development programmes.

Publication and conferences

• Speech delivered for the English Section of the Montreal Bar Association, “Both Sides Now, Access to Justice in the Age of Paradox”, as part of the “Back Stage at the Palace” series (2023)
• Presenter and panellist at the event ‘The Civil Code from Yesterday to Tomorrow – 30th Anniversary’, organised by the Montreal Bar Association (December 2024 at McGill University)
• Co-speaker at “Self-represented parties in arbitration: Challenges and opportunities”, delivered as part of the Arbitrators’ Forum of the Institut de médiation et d’arbitrage du Québec (IMAQ) (May 2025)
• Panel member for “Unlocking the Potential of Adjudication and Arbitration in Construction” at the annual conference of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) (October 2025)
• Course entitled « Vavilov! Et Après?…Normes de contrôle et enjeux actuels » delivered under the auspices of the Montreal Bar Association’s Training Programme (April 2026)
• Presentation: “Inside the Courtroom: A Conversation with a Former Judge” at the annual Canadian conference of legal advisors organised by KPMG (April 2026)

Membership in international commercial arbitration and mediation bodies

With a view to developing my practice on the international stage, I take an active part in arbitration training events such as London Arbitration Week (LAW) and Paris Arbitration Week (PAW). I am also in the process of joining several international centres as a member, starting with:

• CEPANI (Belgium’s leading centre for international arbitration and mediation) (admitted in 2026) https://cepani.be/fr
• TURKIC ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION, the arbitration centre serving the countries of the region (admitted in 2026) https://turkic-arbitration.com

What you should know about me