Annie LespéranceLL.B., LL.M. cum laude
Cabinet Yves Fortier 1 Place Ville Marie Suite 2822Montréal (Québec) H3B 4R4
T : (514) 286-2016F : (514) 286-2019
Paris Bar 2011 | Quebec Bar 2010
Annie Lespérance is an alternative dispute resolution lawyer (international arbitration and mediation). Prior to joining Cabinet Yves Fortier, Me Lespérance acted as Assistant Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague where she provided legal and administrative support to arbitral tribunals and parties in proceedings administered by the PCA concerning State-to-State, investor-State and international commercial disputes.
Previously, Me Lespérance worked as a corporate lawyer at Stikeman Elliott LLP, a leading Canadian law firm.
four international commercial arbitrations before the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA);
five international commercial arbitrations before the Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC);
one international commercial arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and administered by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR);
two investment arbitrations before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID);
three investment arbitrations before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA);
six arbitrations before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS); and
six arbitrations before the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC).
Selected Client Work
Me Lespérance is acting/has acted as Secretary to the Tribunal in the following matters:
Law School and Education
Mediating the Litigated Case, 42 hours of training in mediation, Straus Institute for
Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University, 1-6 August 2016
LL.M. cum laude, Leiden University (Netherlands), 2010 (International law)
LL.B., University of Montreal, 2008
Certificate, Transnational Law, University of Geneva, 2008
Certificate, Introduction to Chinese law, China University of Political Science and Law, 2007
Annie Lespérance LL.B., LL.M. cum laude
Certifications
Certified arbitrator and mediator, Institut de médiation et d’arbitrage du Québec (IMAQ)
Certified mediator, Quebec Bar
Me Lespérance was appointed as arbitrator in an ad hoc arbitration.
Me Lespérance is acting/has acted as mediator in litigated cases before national courts
Annie Lespérance LL.B., LL.M. cum laude PAGE 1 of 3
Annie Lespérance LL.B., LL.M. cum laude
Honors and Awards
Excellence Award, International Law Section, Canadian Bar Association (2017)
Excellence in Legal Services, Worldwide Who’s Who (2013)
Woman of Outstanding Leadership, International Women’s Leadership Association, (2013)
Publications
40 under 40: Current Issues of International Commercial Arbitration, contribution of a chapter to this collective work giving a voice to 40 rising stars in international commercial arbitration, to come
LegisPratique – Guide de l’arbitrage, contribution of a chapter entitled La portée de l’arbitrage to this collective work published by Lexis Nexis on 26 September 2014.
La contribution des Nations Unies à l’arbitrage international, co-authored with L. Yves Fortier, McGill Journal of Dispute Resolution, Volume 1, Issue 1 (1:1 – 2014)
Speaking Engagements
8 Best Practices When Presenting a Case to an Arbitration Tribunal, McGill Journal of Dispute Resolution, 15 February 2018, McGill University
Traps of Boilerplate Clauses: Use with Caution, CBA-Québec, 7 February 2018, Montreal
International Commercial Arbitration: Is it Cheaper and Better?, conference organized jointly by the Montreal Bar and the Philadelphia Bar Association, 6 September 2017 in Montreal and 4 October 2017 in Philadelphia
Perspectives on Arbitration in Canada, Annual Symposium on Arbitration organized by the McGill Arbitration Student Society and the McGill Journal of Dispute Resolution, 20 February 2017, Norton Rose Fulbright, Montreal
Getting Involved in International Affairs: Two Concrete Examples - Private Arbitration, Institutional Negotiations, Montreal United Nations Conference, 25 November 2016, Dawson College, Montreal
The Role of the Tribunal Secretary in International Arbitration, Dispute Resolution Lecture Series, 10 February 2016, McGill University
Evidence in International Arbitration and Implications for Confidentiality, American Bar Association Section of International Law, 22 October 2015, Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Montreal
Introduction to International Arbitration, Lecture given to Australian lawyers and members of the judiciary, 14 October 2015, Hotel le St-James, Montreal
Pathways to Employment in International Law, American Bar Association Symposium, 5 March 2015, University of Ottawa
The Role of Arbitrators in the Protection of Foreign Investment and the Environment, Canadian Council on International Law 43rd Annual Conference (2014), 14 November 2014, Ottawa
De l’Université de Montréal à la Cour permanente d’arbitrage à La Haye, U.N. International Day, 23 October 2014, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM)
Striking a Balance between the Protection of Foreign Investments and the Environment: A Necessity for the Legitimacy of the Investment Arbitration System, Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), 25 March 2014, McGill University
Co-chair, Canadian Council on International Law 42nd Annual Conference (2013), 14-16 November 2013, Ottawa
International Arbitration in Times of Crisis and Emergency: Lessons from the Abyei Arbitration, Canadian Council on International Law 41st Annual Conference, 8-10 November 2012, Ottawa
Annie Lespérance LL.B., LL.M. cum laude PAGE 2 of 3
Annie Lespérance LL.B., LL.M. cum laude
Membership and Activities
Member of NAFTA's Chapter 19 Roster of Panelists (since 2018)
Listed as an arbitrator, London Court of International Arbitration (since 2016)
Member, ICC Task Force on the Rules of ICC as Appointing Authority, ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR (since 2015)
Member of the Arbitration Committee, ICC Canada (since 2015)
Listed as an arbitrator, Montreal Bar
Arbitration Rosters
Member of the Board of Directors, Canadian Council on International Law (since 2013)
Member and Secretary of the Board of Directors, United Nations Association Canada (Montreal Branch) (since 2014)
Board of Directors
Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of its International Law Section, Quebec division (since 2016)
Member of the international committee of the Institut de médiation et d’arbitrage du Québec (IMAQ) (since 2017)
Member, ICC Young Arbitrators Forum (ICC YAF)
Member, Young International Council for Commercial Arbitration (Young ICCA)
Member, Young-OGEMID
Member, Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners (YCAP)
Member, CEPANI40 (Belgium)
Member, Junior Bar Association of Montreal (AJBM) (since 2010)
Lifetime VIP Member of Worldwide Who's Who
Other
Languages
Fluent in French and English. Advanced level of Spanish.
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