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The firm

Cutting-edge expertise in all areas requiring legal services

Dunton Rainville brings together 115 passionate professionals who put their extensive experience to work for you every day.

Straight ahead: the principles that drive us

Exceptional value-added services

Dunton Rainville is committed to providing its clients with exceptional service, adding value through its professional knowledge and skills.

Teamwork and commitment

The members of Dunton Rainville actively collaborate to provide every client with the best possible service.

Excellence

Every member of the team strives to provide clients with service that meets or exceeds their expectations.

Investment in human resources and techniques

At Dunton Rainville, we know that investing in human and technical resources is the key to success. Every member of the team is committed to continuously improving the quality of the organization.

Recognition and social involvement

The firm places great importance on recognizing its members by providing a quality work environment and rewarding their efforts. It also encourages its members’ social involvement in the community.

Rigorous, efficient management

The firm is rigorously managed, using all available technical means to ensure efficiency and an optimal use of resources.

Partner

Dunton Rainville is a member of the SCG Legal worldwide network of leading law firms.

Navigating legal and public policy issues can be challenging, especially when dealing with distant locations, diverse cultures, regulations, and legal systems. At Dunton Rainville, we understand these complexities and offer our clients unparalleled support through our membership in SCG Legal.

As part of SCG Legal, we have immediate access to a global network of nearly 10,000 lawyers across 120 leading law firms. This includes experts in both their specific fields and regional legal landscapes. Our association with this extensive network allows us to provide high-quality legal services on a global scale and ensures that our clients receive reliable, seasoned legal support, no matter where they need it.

SCG Legal members are recruited by invitation only, based on their exceptional service, leadership, and the unique value they bring to the network. Through this membership, we can:

  • Quickly obtain legal advice across various jurisdictions;
  • Coordinate regional legal services effectively;
  • Connect with decision-makers in U.S. state capitals, as well as in capital cities and major business centers around the world;
  • Assemble a multijurisdictional legal team tailored to our clients’ needs;
  • Access a vast pool of knowledge, experience, and international expertise.

As the sole SCG Legal member in Québec, Dunton Rainville is uniquely positioned to offer comprehensive services to clients of other network members. For any inquiries or assistance, please contact our SCG Legal liaisons, Aaron Makovka or Marie-Claude Jarry.

History

70 years of excellence

1954
The firm was founded as Beaudoin, Riel. The Honourable Maurice Riel was appointed senator while he was still active in the firm.
1975
Mr. Jaime Dunton joined the partnership, which was then called Riel, Vermette, Ryan, Dunton and Ciaccia.
1981
The firm became Vermette, Dunton, Rusko, DeWever, Caron & Rainville with the arrival of Mr. Jean-Jacques Rainville, now Chairman of the Board; a branch office was opened on Montréal's South Shore.
1988
The firm changed its name from Vermette Dunton to Dunton Rainville; Mr. Paul André Martel, now a member of the Board of Directors, joined the firm.
1996
The Laval office was opened, integrating Laporte Larouche.
1997
Mr. Yanick Tanguay, now Vice-President of Dunton Rainville, joined the firm.
2003
Mr. Joel Weitzman and Mr. Aaron Makovka joined Dunton Rainville. Mr. Makovka is now a member of the Board of Directors.
2007
The firm changed its name to Dunton Rainville L.L.P.
2011
Opening of the Joliette office, now located on Firestone Boulevard; Ms. Marie Annik Walsh joined Dunton Rainville, expanding the firm’s expertise in family and matrimonial law and joining the firm’s Board of Directors.
2014
Acquisition of Gestion GT, a company specializing in occupational health and safety and the management of prevention mutuals; integration into DR Conseils.
2017
Opening of the Saint-Jérôme office, now located on Maher Street.
2019
Dunton Rainville expanded rapidly with the opening of offices in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Sherbrooke.
2020
Mr. Jaime Dunton, one of the greats of our firm's history, passed away; Mr. Louis Toupin celebrated 60 years of practice.
2022
The arrival of Ms. Marie-Claude Leblanc, Ms. Marie-Josée Blais and Mr. Simon Dauphin increased the firm’s bench strength in the notarial sector.
2023
Mr. Yves Joli-Coeur, a leading expert in co-ownership law, reinforces our real estate expertise by joining the firm as a partner.
2024
Sherbrooke’s legal landscape transformed as Hackett Campbell Bouchard joins forces with Dunton Rainville

Jaime W. Dunton (1933-2020)

Born in Montréal in 1933, Mr. Dunton studied at McGill University and was called to the Bar in 1957. After a successful start to his career, in 1965, he joined the firm of Riel, LeDain, Bissonnette, Vermette & Ryan, which became Dunton Rainville in 1988. Mr. Dunton practiced primarily corporate and trademark law. He represented and advised a large clientele of international companies in the pulp and paper, telecommunications, information technology, engineering, finance and accounting sectors.

A distinguished jurist and practitioner who was appreciated by colleagues and clients alike, Mr. Dunton was known for his unflappable character, humour and love of the French language.

Distinguished individuals who worked at Dunton Rainville over the years:

  • The late Honourable Gérald Le Dain served as Dean of York University’s Osgoode Hall Faculty of Law in Toronto, then as judge in the Appeals Division of the Federal Court of Canada before being appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
  • Albert Bissonnette was a member of the anti-dumping Tribunal.
  • The late Honourable Benjamin J. Greenberg, Q.C., Chartered Arbitrator, former Québec Superior Court Judge.
  • The Honourable Gérald J. Ryan sat as a Superior Court justice in the district of Montréal for over 25 years.
  • The Honourable Jean Girouard served as a Labour Court judge in Montréal for many years prior to his retirement.
  • The Honourable Marc DeWever, the Honourable Michel Caron, the Honourable Michel Déziel and the Honourable Martin Castonguay serve as Superior Court of Québec justices.
  • The Honourable Jean-Pierre Saintonge was President of the National Assembly of Québec and sat on the Court of Québec as Associate Coordinating Judge for the district of Longueuil, as did the Honourable Brigitte Charron, who also sat on the Court of Québec.
  • The Honourable Jimmy Vallée is a judge at the Court of Québec.
  • The Honourable Marco Labrie is Associate Chief Judge of the Criminal and Penal Division and is responsible for the Magistrate Justices of the Peace.
  • The Honourable Sophie Beauchemin has served in the Montréal Municipal Court, as Deputy President of that court and as a member of the Conseil de la magistrature du Québec.
  • Mario St-Pierre is an administrative judge coordinating the Land and Environment Section of the Tribunal administratif du Québec.
  • Pierre St-Onge and Danick Potvin were appointed judges of the Administrative Labour Tribunal in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

A solid legal presence across Québec

Montréal

800 rue du Square-Victoria
Suite 4300
Montréal (Québec) H3C 0B4

Phone

514 866-6743

Fax

514 866-8854

Laval

3055 boul. Saint-Martin Ouest
Suite 610
Laval (Québec) H7T 0J3

Phone

450 686-8683

Mtl Line

514 990-8884

Fax

450 686-8693

Agglomération de Longueuil

3839 boul. Taschereau
Suite 101
Saint-Hubert (Québec) J4T 2G4

Phone

450 672-4681

Fax

450 465-3700

Joliette

1075 boul. Firestone
Suite 3100
Joliette (Québec) J6E 6X6

Phone

450 759-8800

Mtl Line

514 990-4485

Fax

450 759-8878

Saint-Jérôme

995 rue Maher
Suite 201
Saint-Jérôme (Québec) J5L 0A8

Phone

450 431-0705

Fax

450 431-1247

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

202 rue Richelieu
Suite 205
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Québec)
J3B 6X8

Phone

450 358-5737

Fax

450 358-5748

Sherbrooke

1910 rue King Ouest
Suite 320
Sherbrooke (Québec) J1J 2E2

Phone

819 481-0324

Fax

819 481-0337