Lawyer Profile
François Dandonneau
Montréal, Québec
Overview
### Bio
François Dandonneau is a partner in the Montréal office of Gowling WLG. His practice has been centred on Aboriginal law for over twenty years, with a specific focus on matters dealing with mining and natural resources, procurement, taxation and self-governance. In the recent years, he also developed an advanced experience in procurement for public and private infrastructures.
Throughout his career, François has acted and played a major role in important litigation matters, notably constitutional cases, before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.
François works with various Cree entities on a wide range of matters. In recent years, he negotiated, on behalf of the Crees, significant impact and benefit agreements with mining companies for major projects in Cree territory. His practice also addresses public law issues for Cree entities, such as the Cree Nation Government and the Cree School Board.
Before joining Gowling WLG, François worked for ten years with the legal department of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, where he was involved in drafting legislation and in important negotiations regarding agreements and contracts with different levels of government and Crown corporations. These negotiations included commercial leases on reserve and relations with Hydro-Québec.
He practises in English and French.
### Career & education
#### Education
1996
University of Montréal, LLB
1993
University of Montréal, BSc
#### Languages
English
French
Practice Areas
Bar Information
Called to the bar: 1998 (QC)
Professional Details
Awards & Recognition
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2014 (2014)
The Best Lawyers in Canada 2015 (2014)
Best Lawyers in Canada 2021 (2020)
Best Lawyers in Canada 2022 (2021)
Best Lawyers in Canada 2023 (2022)
Best Lawyers in Canada 2024 (2023)
Best Lawyers in Canada 2025 (2024)
Best Lawyers in Canada 2026 (2025)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2015 (2015)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2016 (2016)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2017 (2017)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2018 (2018)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2019 (2019)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2020 (2020)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2021 (2021)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2022 (2022)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2023 (2023)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2024 (2024)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2025 (2025)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2026 (2026)
Lexpert's Leading Canadian Lawyers in Global Mining, 2016-2017 (2016)
Lexpert's Leading Canadian Lawyers in Global Mining 2018/2019 (2018)
Lexpert's Leading Canadian Lawyers in Global Mining 2017/2018 (2017)
Lexpert Special Edition: Energy 2020 (2020)
Lexpert Special Edition: Energy 2021 (2021)
Lexpert Special Edition: Energy 2022 (2022)
Lexpert Special Edition: Energy and Mining 2024 (2024)
Lexpert Special Edition: Infrastructure 2021 (2021)
Lexpert Special Edition: Infrastructure 2022 (2022)
Lexpert Special Edition: Infrastructure 2023 (2023)
Lexpert Special Edition: Mining 2020 (2020)
Lexpert Special Edition: Mining 2022 (2022)
Lexpert Special Edition: Mining 2023 (2023)
The Best Lawyers in Canada 2016 (2015)
The Best Lawyers in Canada 2017 (2016)
The Best Lawyers in Canada 2018 (2017)
The Best Lawyers in Canada 2019 (2018)
The Best Lawyers in Canada 2020 (2019)