Lawyer Profile
Frédéric Desmarais
Montréal, Quebec
Overview
Frédéric Desmarais, CRHA, is a Partner and Lawyer in Lavery's Labour and Employment Law group in Montréal. He advises provincially and federally regulated employers on workforce management, civil employment issues, restrictive covenants and employment litigation, and represents employers before administrative tribunals, courts including the Quebec Court of Appeal, and grievance arbitrators. He is the author of Le Contrat de travail (Art. 2085 à 2097 C.c.Q.), has taught labour and employment law at the École du Barreau du Québec, and serves on the Quebec Bar's Disciplinary Council. Before joining Lavery in November 2025, he practised for eight years at Norton Rose Fulbright.
Practice Areas
Bar Information
Quebec Bar, 2009
Professional Details
Education
LL.B./B.C.L., McGill University, 2008
B.A., Université de Montréal, 2004
Associations
Chartered Human Resources Advisor (CRHA)
Quebec Bar Disciplinary Council, member
GUEPE, Chair of the Board, 2016-present
Young Bar of Montreal
Regroupement des gestionnaires en ressources humaines de Laval, 2017-2019
Awards & Recognition
Best Lawyers in Canada, Labour and Employment Law, since 2024
Best Lawyers in Canada, Employee Benefits Law, since 2024
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Employment Law, since 2023
Young Bar of Montreal, finalist for Leaders of Tomorrow, 2019
Exemplum Uistita award, Young Bar of Laval, 2016
Articles & Speeches
Le Contrat de travail (Art. 2085 à 2097 C.c.Q.), Éditions Yvon Blais
The evidentiary disclosure process: applicable rules and the state of the law before other bodies, Conference of Arbitrators, March 28, 2026
Recent Developments in Labour Law, Quebec Bar professional development conference, 2023-2026, 2021 and 2016
Optimizing recruitment and retention practices while limiting legal risks, Ordre CRHA Congress, October 8, 2024
The impact of Matthews v. Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd. in Quebec, Canadian Bar Association, June 15, 2021
The best practices for drafting restrictive covenants in light of recent case law, December 10, 2020
Selected Decisions
Ciomag c. Banque Royale du Canada, 2025 QCCA 983