Background
Daniel Ayotte is a partner at our Montréal office. Mr. Ayotte was admitted to the Québec Bar in 1972 and is a graduate of the Université de Montréal Law School. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1968 from the Externat Classique de Longueuil.
Areas of Practice
- Mr. Ayotte heads the Construction, Engineering, Surety and Fidelity Group in Montréal.
- He specializes in litigation and has acted as plaintiff or defence counsel in a variety of disputes in which he represented multinational corporations, governments, insurers, banks, bonding companies, owners, contractors, engineers and architects, manufacturers and others.
Professional Experience
- Mr. Ayotte successfully pleaded the landmark case of Bank of Montréal vs. Commission hydroélectrique du Québec (1992) in which the Supreme Court of Canada defined the duty to inform in contractual matters in the context of a large infrastructure contract.
- For many years, he represented the Iranian Government before the Iran/US Arbitration Tribunal sitting at The Hague in an important construction dispute raising issues of comparative and international law. He has also been involved in a number of international construction projects.
- Mr. Ayotte assists clients in identifying their business risks, in the drafting of contracts and in developing risk prevention and training programs.
- He promotes and uses mediation and other ADR techniques.
Professional and Community Activities
- Listed every year since 2001 in LEXPERT’s “Leading 500 lawyers in Canada” Directory
- Co-founder of the Construction Law Section of the Québec Division of the Canadian Bar Association
- Governor of the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers
- Member of the Québec and Canadian Bars Associations
- Author of many articles dealing with key issues in construction law, professional liability and ADR
- Speaker at various conferences and seminars organized, among others, by construction and professional associations
