Charles A. Foucreault

Full Profile

With more than 15 years of experience under his belt, Charles has developed an in-depth expertise on legal issues pertaining to insurance coverage in the following lines of business: casualty; commercial general liability; errors and omissions; professional liability; financial institutions, directors and officers’ liability; and cyber risk. In addition, he has worked on a variety of instructions, advocating for different actors in sectors such as municipal law, commercial law, construction and engineering, and energy, infrastructure and natural resources.

A Québec Bar member since 2008, Charles regularly pleads before all provincial courts. He has represented clients in the context of class actions, as well as numerous insurers during litigation proceedings on insurance coverage and civil liability matters. Several of his clients entrust him with policy drafting, revision and amendment mandates for compliance purposes and solicit his advice on regulation issues in the insurance sector.

Prior to joining Clyde & Co, Charles practised for more than 15 years first as an associate, then as a partner, at a world-renowned business law firm. Moreover, he clerked for the Honourable Justice Jean-Louis Baudouin of the Québec Court of Appeal.

Fully bilingual, Charles is often invited as a speaker to training seminars intended for various audiences on the topics of insurance, professional liability and civil proceedings. Recognized as one of the best in his profession by Best Lawyers in the Insurance Law category, he won the Goldenberg prize and the Harry-Batshaw prize for his excellence in Civil Liberties results.
 

Admissions

• Québec Bar, 2008
   

Education

• Master II (Private Law), Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University, 2007

• LL.M., McGill University, 2006

• LL.B. (deans’ honour list), Faculty of Law, University of Montréal, 2004
   

Professional Associations

• Québec Bar

• Canadian Bar Association 
   

Presentations

• “La légalisation du cannabis : un survol des enjeux pour les juristes – Perspectives en droit des assurances, en droit criminel et en droit du travail,” Canadian Bar Association, annual professional development day “Les nouvelles tendances du milieu juridique,” October 30, 2018.

• “Stratégies pour vous prémunir et vous défendre contre les réclamations relatives aux bris des conduites d’eau, d’aqueducs et d’égouts,” The Canadian Institute, conference “Éthique, gouvernance et responsabilité municipale et gouvernementale,” April 29, 2013.
   

Publications

• “Understanding Quebec’s Duty to Defend Rules” in Lexpert, by Charles A. Foucreault, June 15, 2023.

• “Les tenants et aboutissants du Règlement sur les catégories de contrats d’assurance et d’assurés pouvant déroger aux règles des articles 2500 et 2503 du Code civil du Québec” in Développements récents en droit des assurances et responsabilité professionnelle, Vol. 526, Éditions Yvon Blais, February 2023 (French only).

•  “When Erring on the Side of Caution Backfires: Quebec Ruling Stands as a Warning to Insurers When Paying Out Claims” in the Canadian Journal of Insurance Law, Vol. 40, No. 5, September 2022.

• “Quebec court takes position on trigger theories in liability insurance” in Law360 Canada, by Charles Foucreault and Élif Oral, January 2020.

• “Engaging in illegal cannabis activity may void right to indemnity” in Law360 Canada, July 2019.