Headquarters:
Montreal, Quebec
Year founded:
1995
Number of employees:
92
Phone:
514 982 4545
Email:
general@woods.qc.ca
Website:
woods.qc.ca
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/woods-llp
Richard Vachon
Partner and Chair of the Management Committee
Marie-Louise Delisle
Partner and Chair of the Management Committee
Louis Seveno
Partner and Member of the Management Committee
Leadership
Richard Vachon is a partner and chair of the management committee. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, administrative law, class actions, securities litigation, defamation, and employment law. Vachon is known for his keen understanding of economic, strategic, and operational issues and, as such, regularly acts as business advisor. He has represented some of the largest companies in Quebec as well as several public corporations. He has defended the interests of individuals and senior executives in defamation actions, public inquiries, and labour law disputes. He has appeared before the Quebec Court of First Instance and the Quebec Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, and the Federal Court of Appeal, as well as before arbitration tribunals.
Partner and Chair of the Management Committee
Richard Vachon
Marie-Louise Delisle is a partner and a member of the management committee with over 20 years of experience in large-scale commercial litigation, raising complex legal issues. She has notably led cases involving injunctions, construction in the context of public-private partnerships, and professional liability. Delisle is active in several arbitration proceedings. She has significant and varied experience in defending class-action proceedings involving civil liability, telecommunications law, competition law, and the manipulation of financial instruments. Delisle has appeared before the trial and appeal courts of Quebec.
Partner and Member of the Management Committee
Marie-Louise Delisle
Louis Seveno specializes in high-stakes civil and commercial litigation and arbitration. He acts in cases involving Canadian and foreign corporations, dealing with local, cross-border, or multi-jurisdictional issues. Admitted to the bars of Quebec, Ontario, and New York, Seveno appears before trial and appellate courts, as well as before domestic and international arbitral tribunals.
A versatile litigator, Seveno practices mainly in contractual disputes, corporate, and shareholder litigation, insolvency, employment law, professional liability, class actions, private international law, and injunctive proceedings. He has acquired substantial expertise in construction and PPP disputes.
Partner and Member of the Management Committee
Louis Seveno
Stephen L. Drymer
Partner and Head of International Arbitration
Stephen L. Drymer heads the firm’s international arbitration practice. A litigator and advocate by background and experience, Drymer is a leading figure in domestic and international arbitration. He serves as counsel, mediator, sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator, and tribunal president in ad hoc proceedings and in cases administered by the world’s most prominent arbitral institutions.
Drymer also advises parties on a broad range of issues associated with the design, negotiation, drafting, and implementation of dispute resolution agreements and strategies. The industries in which he has worked as counsel or arbitrator include manufacturing, infrastructure, construction, petrochemicals, oil and gas, mining, energy, environment, financial services, outsourcing, hospitality, transportation, aviation, IT, telecommunications, aerospace, and crop science.
Partner and Head of International Arbitration
Stephen L. Drymer
Alex Dobrota
Partner and Head of Insolvency
Bogdan-Alexandru Dobrota is a partner whose practice focuses on complex commercial cases, cross-border disputes, insolvency matters (domestic and international), and international arbitration. Dobrota has an extensive experience pleading before all levels of Quebec courts and participating in commercial arbitrations with strategic and/or reputational risks for Canadian and foreign companies in Quebec. He has successfully represented clients in the context of litigation arising from shareholder disputes, construction and mining projects, international sales of goods and service agreements, product liability, and defamation.
Partner and Head of Insolvency
Alex Dobrota
Cara Cameron
Partner
Bogdan Catanu
Partner
Eric Bédard
Partner
Pam Chhabra
Manager – Residential Strata
Cara Cameron is a highly skilled litigator and negotiator trusted by clients with their most challenging commercial disputes, specifically in matters concerning contractual and shareholders’ rights, as well as white-collar investigations and defence, commercial fraud, asset tracing, and recovery proceedings. Cameron has substantial experience in managing large and complex multijurisdictional cases, where success depends on the effective coordination of multi-professional teams.
With more than 20 years of trial and appellate practice, Cameron has achieved many successes in court, including in lengthy trials and urgent proceedings, such as injunctions, civil seizures, Anton Piller (civil search) orders, and asset freezes. She has appeared before all levels of courts, up to the Supreme Court of Canada. Cameron also excels in out-of-court dispute resolution and provides strategic advice on risk mitigation strategies.
Partner
Cara Cameron
Bogdan Catanu is a partner of the firm. He has a diverse commercial litigation practice and represents public and private corporations, as well as their officers, directors, shareholders, auditors, contractual partners, or creditors in commercial disputes. Catanu has a solid experience in complex contractual matters, liability of professionals, such as lawyers and accountants, oppression remedies, and rights of shareholders. He has also represented clients on many occasions in the context of injunction proceedings and in commercial arbitrations.
Partner
Bogdan Catanu
Eric Bédard is an experienced litigator in major commercial and administrative disputes, with expertise in domestic and international arbitration, both as counsel and arbitrator. He is also regularly called upon to provide strategic advice on employment law, shareholder disputes, and corporate governance issues.
A versatile litigator, Bédard is among the most prominent lawyers of his generation and is recognized by some of the most renowned legal directories for his track record in complex litigation. He acts for private and public companies in a variety of fields, including mining and gas, financial services, securities, and telecommunications. Bédard also represents professionals in matters where their liability may be engaged and regarding their professional orders. With his diversified experience, he is familiar with the decision-making processes of the federal, provincial, and municipal governments, and with negotiating with them to defuse contentious situations.
Partner
Eric Bédard
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Award Winner
Woods LLP
SPECIAL REPORT
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Bio
Adam Basaldella
Manager – Claims
“Swimming is more than a sport – it is an essential life skill that can save lives. Aquastar Swim Schools believes every child deserves the skills, confidence and awareness to stay safe around water, regardless of their background or access to private lessons”
Gareth Cope,
Aquastar Swim Schools
“Aquastar Swim Schools strives to be a genuine extension of each school community, delivering safe, organised and flexible programs tailored to individual needs. Great service goes beyond swimming lessons – it means building trust, supporting families and creating positive outcomes for students”
Peter Smith,
Aquastar Swim Schools
Woods LLP is one of Canada’s premier litigation, arbitration, and insolvency boutiques, focused exclusively on dispute resolution. For more than 30 years, clients have turned to Woods to handle high-stakes matters where business, financial, operational, and reputational interests converge. Our lawyers regularly advise and represent clients in commercial and shareholder disputes, infrastructure and construction litigation, insolvency and restructuring proceedings, class actions, public and constitutional law matters, professional liability claims, white-collar crime, fraud, and investigations, as well as domestic and international arbitration.
Based in Montreal, Woods is Canada’s largest bilingual and bijuridical disputes boutique, bringing together 46 lawyers and legal professionals trained in both civil and common law. Our team appears before courts and tribunals at every level in Canada and before international arbitral tribunals, often in matters involving multiple parties, jurisdictions, and complex technical or regulatory issues. We are recognized for combining the depth and resources required for the largest disputes with the agility, responsiveness, and strategic focus of a boutique practice.
The partners featured in this profile reflect the breadth of experience that defines Woods. Alongside them, six additional partners and our broader team contribute to a collaborative platform built to address the most demanding disputes.
To meet our other partners and our full team, visit https://woods.qc.ca/.
Water safety for every child
For some families, where cost or access is a barrier, a school program may be the only structured swimming and water safety education their child receives, which is why Aquastar’s School Swimming and Water Safety Program goes beyond swimming lessons. Each swimmer is assessed against age- and ability-appropriate skills and receives
certificates and water safety education resources, giving schools measurable evidence of progress alongside the harder-to-measure gains in confidence and independence.
Aquastar’s commitment to children extends past the lessons themselves, with scholarships, fundraising, Giving Days and employment opportunities for young people carrying Aquastar's community focus beyond the pool.
The company's read on the future stays close to that purpose: expanding practical learn to swim and water safety, reaching more children through school partnerships, and continuing to invest in the next generation of teachers and supervisors.
Recognition in The Educator’s Service Provider Awards for 2026 reflects a business that has grown quickly while keeping its founding priorities intact – helping more children become confident, capable and safe in the water.
