Antoine Leduc Bio

A distinguished lawyer who has been practicing for more than twenty-five years, in both transactional law and commercial litigation, renowned for his skills, integrity, rigor, pragmatism and versatility, Antoine Leduc is one of those rare jurists who combine the profile of a practitioner with that of an academic. A Doctor of Laws, Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and holder of a Global Competent Boards ESG Certificate and Designation (GCB.D), Antoine is Chair of the firm’s financing, real estate and bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring practice groups, and a partner in our business law and commercial litigation groups. Experienced in banking and financial services law, financing, real estate, construction and energy, bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring and commercial litigation, his diversified practice has also led him to international trade and law and development, as well as mergers and acquisitions. In these various contexts, he has represented Canadian and international financial institutions as well as trustees in bankruptcy, governments, public and private corporations, real estate developers, as well as First Nations and band councils, for private mandates, regulatory compliance and governance issues (including ESG criteria and sustainability standards) or as an expert in law reform and public policy review, with a particular interest in built heritage. Past President of the Canadian Bar Association, Quebec Branch (CBA-Québec) (2014–2016), Antoine has greatly contributed to the improvement of the administration of justice, to the independence of the legal profession and to foster a better image of lawyers in the public, in Canada and internationally. Author of numerous, award-winning and authoritative publications regularly quoted by Courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, Antoine’s book Mondialisation et harmonisation du droit des sûretés (e.g., Globalization and Harmonization of Secured Transactions) (Thémis, 2012) won the 2013 Quebec Bar Foundation’s legal competition award in the category “Monograph and Treatise”, the most prestigious distinction for a legal writing in Quebec. A Doctor of Laws from Université de Montréal (with great distinction) (2011), Antoine holds a Master’s degree in Business Law from this university (2002) and obtained his civil and common law degrees from McGill University in 1996. He has pursued for several years is teaching and research activities, having been a professor, lecturer and fellow researcher at Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Law for over twenty years. He has also lectured at the Quebec Bar School (e.g., École du Barreau du Québec). Since 2015, Antoine chairs the jury awarding the Michel-Robert Awards (e.g., Prix Michel-Robert) attributed yearly by CBA-Québec, which he initiated and which recognizes the best doctoral and master’s thesis submitted to a Quebec law school, in any of the following fields: international law, constitutional law and human rights and freedoms, as well as the rule of law, in any field (the winners having their works published by Éditions Yvon Blais (Thomson Reuters) and receiving a grant from CBA-Québec). Since 2019, Antoine is a founding and active member of the Montreal Opinion Working Group (MOWG) in Secured Transactions, created by CBA-Québec’s Business Law Section. Antoine completed the Competent Boards’ ESG Designation Program for Business Leaders and obtained his Global Competent Boards ESG Certificate and Designation (GCB.D) in March 2023. Accomplished musician, concert organist, Antoine is highly involved in the arts and in promoting the safeguarding of religious and cultural heritage, being the instigator of the Manifesto for the safeguarding of Québec’s Religious Heritage (June 2010). Antoine has received many awards and distinctions over the years, in Canada and abroad. In November 2009, he was recognized by Lexpert Magazine as one of Canada’s “Rising Stars – Leading Lawyers under 40”. In September 2010, he was appointed “Fellow” of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys. In January 2015, Antoine was appointed Governor of the Québec Bar Foundation, then renewed as Governor Emeritus of this foundation in 2024 and, in July 2015, he was appointed Advocatus Emeritus by the Quebec Bar. On May 28, 2018, Antoine received the Jules-Deschênes Award, CBA-Québec’s highest distinction, which underlies the exceptional dedication and team spirit that Antoine has shown as part of his ongoing commitment to this association and the legal profession.