For more than 35 years, Bernard Amyot has developed a practice that is primarily focused on civil and commercial litigation. He has extensive experience before the Quebec courts, as well as federal courts and the Supreme Court of Canada, representing numerous Canadian and foreign companies. He has lectured and written frequently on legal issues of interest to his clients.

Bernard regularly acts in major corporate disputes, including shareholder disputes. His professional liability defence work extends to lawyers as well as stockbrokers, insurance brokers, engineers and accountants. He has acted as lead counsel in numerous class action matters involving multiple jurisdictions across Canada and cross-border issues. In addition, he regularly acts as a mediator and as arbitrator in major commercial disputes.

Every level of the Bar has benefited from Bernard’s relentless commitment since the start of his practice. In 2007–2008, he served as National President of the Canadian Bar Association. Previously, he served as President of the Young Bar Association of Montreal and was a member of the Council of the Montreal Bar and of the Executive Committee of the Quebec Bar. He served as President of the American Counsel Association, was the first Canadian to sit on the Council of the Section of Litigation of the American Bar Association (2018-2020), and he served on the Board of Directors of The Advocates’ Society (2019-2023). In 2022, he was elected to the Board of Regents of the American College of Trial Lawyers for a four-year term. He was also appointed to the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Leadership Council.

Bernard’s involvement in business circles and the community is equally noteworthy. He served as Chairman of the Board of Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf from 2005 to 2011 and was a director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Theatre School of Canada from 2012 to 2018 and served on the Board of the Canadian Foundation for Legal Research from 2017 to 2020 and of the Siminovitch Prize Foundation from 2019 to 2023.

In 2009, Bernard was awarded the Quebec Bar’s honorary title of Advocatus Emeritus. In 2011, he became a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and, in 2015, of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. In 2022, he was inducted as a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers. Since 2020, he has been recognized annually in Commercial Litigation by Chambers Canada. Since 2012, he has been recognized annually as a leading practitioner of corporate/commercial litigation by The Best Lawyers in Canada (Woodward/White), The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and Benchmark Canada. He is among a select group of ten Quebec lawyers recognized in the 2024 Lexpert/ALM 500 directory in the Corporate and Commercial Litigation category.

“Commentaires sur la décision Conseil de la magistrature c. Ministre de la Justice du Québec — Le bilinguisme des candidats à la magistrature: à qui le dernier mot ?” (co-author with Christophe Savoie), in Repères, May 2022.

“Empathy: Where the Law and Theatre Intersect”, in Journal of The American College of Trial Lawyers, Spring 2020, Volume 92, pp. 27-30.

Co-author (with Vivian Bercovici), Chapter 9, The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Insurance & Reinsurance 2013, 2nd edition, A practical cross-border insight into insurance and reinsurance law, Global Legal Group, London.

“Médiation commerciale – Audience de Règlement Amiable et Conférence de Règlement à l’Amiable (ARA – CRA) – Approches croisées Canada-France”, Thematic Breakfast of the Centre de Médiation et d’Arbitrage de Paris (CMAP) held in Paris on January 30, 2024.

“Tour d’horizon de la portée des droits linguistiques à l’aune de l’article 23 de la Charte québécoise et des garanties procédurales en cette ère postpandémique” (with Nicholas Daudelin), Colloque annuel de la Conférence des Juges Administratifs du Québec, November 24, 2022.Debater during The Advocates Society’s Fall Convention held in the Bahamas on November 9, 2019.

Co-chair of the Professional Development Program of The Advocates’ Society entitled “Les injonctions en pratique”, Montreal, October 18, 2019.

“Recent Developments in Administrative and Disciplinary Law in Québec” presented on September 8, 2017, at the Saint-James Club in Montreal, during the IIROC Hearing Committee Training Conference.

“A View from Quebec – New Code of Civil Procedure” presented as part of the Cross-Canada Check-In, November 14, 2015 (Fall convention of The Advocates’ Society, Mayan Riviera, Mexico).

Moderator on a panel entitled, “When things go wrong, customers complain” presented with Kathy Langford, Penny Steckly and Mike D. Clark during the Compliance and Consumer Complaints Annual Conference of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association Inc. (CLHIA) in Vancouver on May 9, 2013.

Moderated a panel entitled “Effective Advocacy at the Top: Appearing in the Supreme Court of Canada” presented in Vancouver by the National Civil Litigation Section of the Canadian Bar Association on August 13, 2012 with the Honourable John C. (Jack) Major, C.C., Q.C. and Eugene Meehan, Q.C.

“Transparency as a Driving Force for Change in the Recent Financial Reforms in the U.S. and Canada”, November 12, 2011, Geneva, Switzerland (2011 European Circuit of the Bar Annual Conference organized jointly with the Ordre des Avocats de Genève, the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners and the American Counsel Association).

“The Emerging Trends in Regulating the Financial Sector in the Wake of the Recent Crises, a North American perspective”, October 17, 2009, Warsaw, Poland (2009 European Circuit of the Bar Annual Conference organized by the Warsaw Bar and the American Counsel Association).

“New Developments in Secondary Market Liability Cases: Key Strategies to win your case” presented on April 21, 2009, in Toronto, during the 8th Annual Advanced Forum on Securities Litigation and Enforcement organized by The Canadian Institute.

“False Representations and Fraudulent Misrepresentations in Quebec”, May 8, 2008, St. John’s, Newfoundland (Annual General Meeting of the Claims Section of the Canadian Life & Health Insurance Association, CLHIA).

“The New Trends and the Emergence of Class Actions in the Securities Field”, February 3, 2005, Montreal (Second Advanced Conference on Class Actions organized by The Canadian Institute).

• Bar of Québec – 1984

• B.C.L., Université McGill, 1982
• LL.B., Université McGill, 1983

• International Society of Barristers (Fellow) (2022)
• International Academy of Trial Lawyers (Fellow) (2015)
• Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)
• American College of Trial Lawyers (Fellow) (2011)
• Barreau du Québec (Advocatus Emeritus) (2009)
• Chambers Canada, Litigation: General Commercial – (since 2020)
• The Best Lawyers in Canada (Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Law – since 2012)
• Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Corporate Commercial Litigation, Securities Litigation and US/Canada Cross-Border Litigation– since 2012, Special edition Infrastructure – since 2022)
• Benchmark Canada (Local Litigation Star in Commercial Litigation and Insurance, Quebec – (since 2013)

• Bar of Québec
• Canadian Bar Association
• The Advocates’ Society
• American College of Trial Lawyers
• American Bar Association (Section of Litigation)
• International Academy of Trial Lawyers
• International Society of Barristers
• American Counsel Association
• Lord Reading Law Society