Partner

Laurence Bich-Carrière practises in the Litigation Group. A member of the Quebec Bar and of the Law Society of Ontario, her practice is wide-ranging, and she provides services in areas that include class actions, appeal, consumer protection, administrative law, and infrastructure. She represents a variety of clients before  the court, particularly in appeal cases, and also advises clients on drafting and negotiating contracts and settlements and on risk management.

Education

• LL.M., University of Cambridge, 2009
• B.C.L./LL.B. (Dean’s honour list), McGill University, 2008

Significant Accomplishments

Ms. Bich-Carrière won a number of speaking competitions both in Quebec and internationally, and has authored scholarly publications on defamation, technology and procedure. She maintains close ties with the university community and contributes to academic endeavours as a lecturer and as a researcher affiliated with the Working Group on Private Law. She is also actively involved in the legal community, for instance as a member of the civil procedure committee of the Quebec Bar and with the Canadian Bar Association.

During the course of her studies, Ms. Bich-Carrière managed to entertain both a very active extracurricular life and excellent results, as she consistently appeared on the Dean’s list and received a number of scholarships for academic excellence, including the Greville-Smith scholarship and the Macdonald Travelling Scholarship for graduate studies.

After completing a master’s degree at the University of Cambridge, Ms. Bich-Carrière served as law clerk to the Honourable Mr. Justice Ian Binnie at the Supreme Court of Canada. She also worked at the Hague Conference on Private International Law and practised commercial litigation with a Canada-wide firm. She joined Lavery in 2014.

Publications

• Author, “Remarques à parfaire sur les Cahiers de propriété intellectuelle dans ses univers: quelques commentaires sur les processus d’édition des revues juridiques au Québec et des revues de propriété intellectuelle au Canada”, (2023) 35:1 Cahiers de propriété intellectuelle 47. [Imperfect Remarks on the Cahiers de propriété intellectuelle in its universes: some comments on the editorial process in Quebec law journals and Canadian IP journals]
• Author, “Pierre-Claude Lafond, quantitativement: de l’importance d’être Précis”, dans Mélanges Pierre-Claude-Lafond (Montréal, Yvon-Blais, 2022), 641 [Quantifying Pierre-Claude Lafond: the importance of being Précis].
• Codirector, Les 50 ans de la Loi sur la protection du consommateur et l’évolution du droit de la consommation, Actes du colloque de la Fondation Claude-Masse 2021 (Montréal: Yvon-Blais, 2022)
• Author, "Famous Travelling Last Words: a synthesis», Proceeds of the 2019-2020 Claude-Masse Biennal Colloquium, (Montréal: Yvon-Blais, 2021), 405
• Author, “Secret professionnel et immunités de témoignage”, in JurisClasseur Québec, Preuve et procédure, “Droit privé” collection (Montreal: LexisNexis, first contribution: 2018, latest update: January 1^st, 2023), booklet 11 [Professional Secrecy and Others Testimonial Immunities]
• Author, “Compétence d’attribution et territoriale de la Cour d’appel en matière civile”, in JurisClasseur Québec, Procédure civile I, 2^nd ed., “Droit privé” collection  (Montreal: LexisNexis, original ed.: 2015; latest update: July 1^st, 2022), booklet 5 [Territorial and Material Jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal in Civil Matters]
• Co-author, “La constitution juridique et politique du Canada: notions, sources et principes”, in JurisClasseur Québec, Droit constitutionnel, “Droit public” collection (Montreal: LexisNexis, 2011-2022), booklet 1 [Canada’s Legal and Political Constitution: Notions, Sources and Principles]
• Author, "Say it with [A Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes]: Judicial Use and Legal Challenges with Emoji Interpretation in Canada" [2019] International Journal for the Semiotics of Law 1
• Author, «Que pensent les tribunaux des émojis, émoticônes et autres pictogrammes?» (2018) 64:1 McGill Law Journal 43 [What do courts think about emojis, emoticons and other pictograms]
• Author, "Propriété intellectuelle et émojis : S: ou  ¯\_:)_/¯?:", in Développements récents en propriété intellectuelle (Montréal: Yvon-Blais, 2018), 305. [Intellectual Property and Emojis: S: or ¯\_:)_/¯?]
• Author, “Le droit est-il une arme?” (2017) 62:2 McGill Law Journal 567 [Is Law a Weapon]
• Author, “Quelques décisions d’intérêt en matière de cyberdiffamation 2016”, (2017) 29:2 Cahiers de propriété intellectuelle 233. [Decisions of interest in cyberdefamation law]
• Author, “Nécessité fait loi ou les bons génies de la fiducie québécoise”, ‘Our dear neighbours’ column (2016) 15 Legimag 60 [Necessity knows law, or the good spirits of the Quebec trust]
• Coauthor, “Farmers, drivers, debtors and the BIA: Where Conflict Meets Frustrations” (2016) 33:3 National Insolvency Review 28
• Author, “Le détissage juridique : étude de l’obsolescence des citations électroniques dans les décisions de la Cour suprême du Canada (1998-2014)” (2015) 68 Supreme Court Law Review 455 [Unweaving Case Law: A Study on the Obsolescence of Electronic Citations in decisions from the Supreme Court of Canada (1998-2014)]
• Author, “Décisions d’intérêt en matière de diffamation 2013” (2014) 26:2 Cahiers de propriété intellectuelle 289 [Decision of Interest in Defamation Law]
• Author, “Homère, Gutenberg, Helen Keller et Stevie Wonder: commentaire sur le Traité de l’OMPI pour l’accès des aveugles à l’imprimé” (2014) 13 Asper Review of International Business and Trade Law 241 [Homer, Gutenberg, Helen Keller and Stevie Wonder : commentary on the WIPO Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works to the Print Disabled]
• Author, “Archives Internet : quelques problèmes de preuve - Application particulière à la Commission des oppositions” (2014) 26:1 Cahiers de propriété intellectuelle 1 [Internet Archives : Some Evidentiary Issues – Specific Application to the Oppositions Board]

Professional Associations
Canadian Bar Association
Young Bar Association of Montreal
The Law Society of Upper Canada (Ontario)
Swiss Institute of Comparative Law
Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History


Professional Activities and Experience
Accolades

• Best Lawyers 2021
• Best Lawyers 2022
• Lexpert
• Best Lawyers 2024

• Changes to the Code of Civil procedure (Quebec) - Small claims: From $7,000 to $15,000
• A Heads-up on Asbestos!
• Farmers, drivers and debtors: The Supreme Court considers the conflicts between the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and several provincial statutes
• Contracts by public entities: stay tuned on June 1, 2016
• Licence security requirements to be hiked shortly
• Roaming fees: a long and winding road
• Class Actions to Watch this Year
• Securities and class actions: screening authorizations
• The City of Montreal revises its by-law on contract management
• A Decision of Interest to the Entertainment Industry
• Bill 37: What changes can be expected for Public Contracts?
• Class actions to watch in 2024