A firm specializing in maritime and commercial law

Danièle joined the firm as a partner in 1996, after spending 11 years with the Admiralty Section of the Department of Justice Canada. She practices maritime and transportation law in litigation, arbitration and mediation, as well as in commercial and regulatory advisory matters. Her expertise includes charterparties, cabotage, vessel registration and arrest, Port State Control, as well as pollution, personal injury and marine insurance claims. She has appeared before several courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

David joined the firm in 1980 after a career in teaching and became a partner in 1985. He practices commercial and corporate law in the maritime industry, with a focus on multimodal transportation, contractual disputes and litigation before civil and admiralty courts. He has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada on several occasions. As a course lecturer, he has taught admiralty and international maritime transportation law at the law faculty of McGill University and regularly speaks at conferences for industry professionals.

Peter joined the firm as counsel in March 2023 after a long and successful career at a leading national business law firm, where he was a partner, chaired the National Risk Management Committee and served on the National Professional Ethics Committee.

He represents leading maritime transportation companies in Canada and internationally in complex commercial transactions, including vessel construction and major conversion projects, purchases and sales, contracts of carriage and other matters, as well as in dispute resolution. He also advises financial institutions, P&I clubs and Canadian and foreign marine insurers, including members of Lloyd’s and London, European and Asian markets.

His practice also includes general commercial insurance, energy insurance involving construction, exploration and development, and coverage and liability matters.

He appears before the Federal Court, the courts of Quebec and Ontario, and arbitral tribunals. He occasionally acts as an arbitrator.

Richard is the firm’s Managing Director. He joined the firm in 2016 after serving as the senior partner responsible for the Canadian maritime law, transportation and cross-border litigation practices at a leading international firm.

His practice covers both contentious and non-contentious transportation law. He advises and represents vessel owners and operators, charterers, shippers, freight forwarders, insurers, shipbuilders, ports and terminal operators, financial institutions, aircraft manufacturers, aircraft purchasers and their financiers, as well as public bodies. He also handles insurance coverage matters and commercial contractual disputes.

He has successfully appeared before Quebec civil courts, the Federal Courts and the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as before numerous arbitral tribunals. He has coordinated or participated in cross-border litigation in civil law and common law jurisdictions, including Hong Kong, with matters before the Court of Final Appeal, Jersey, with matters before the Privy Council, France, England, Luxembourg and the United States. He also has extensive experience in enforcing foreign judgments and arbitral awards and in matters involving state immunity.

After completing her Quebec Bar articling and practicing for several months at a leading business law firm, Luce stepped away from law for approximately two years to compete as a professional road cyclist in North America and Europe. She joined the firm in 2022 while pursuing graduate studies at McGill University. She assists colleagues and clients in every area of the firm’s practice. She serves as rapporteur for the Comité Maritime International working group on polar shipping and, in that capacity, authored a working paper on the interface between Arctic shipping regulation and Indigenous rights.

Amalia joined the firm as a lawyer in 2024 after being called to the Quebec Bar in November 2023. She assists her colleagues and clients in every area of the firm’s practice.

Before joining Brisset Bishop, Amalia practiced civil and commercial litigation at a boutique firm, where she refined her research skills and deepened her knowledge of legal procedure.

Vanessa joined the firm after completing her Quebec Bar articling with us. She assists her colleagues and clients in every area of the firm’s practice.

Before joining the firm, Vanessa worked as a research assistant at Université de Montréal, specializing in financial law and capital markets. She was also actively involved in her university’s legal clinic.

After completing her Quebec Bar examinations and professional training program, Claudia pursued graduate studies in the United Kingdom, earning a Master’s degree in International Maritime and Commercial Law with Distinction from Swansea University. She completed her articling requirements with Brisset Bishop before joining the firm as a lawyer in 2026. Claudia assists colleagues and clients across all areas of the firm’s practice.