Description
Frequently called upon to represent educational and healthcare institutions in both the public and private sectors before all administrative tribunals and courts, René Paquette has the experience to fully meet the needs of both education & healthcare clients as well as private sector employers. His expertise in fields such as labour relations, occupational health & safety and human rights and freedoms makes him a much sought after advisor, litigator and speaker.

In the field of labour relations, René is well-known for his expertise in disciplinary matters and has been involved in a number of complex cases involving large numbers of witnesses and many days of hearings. He represents various employers in dismissal or disciplinary cases against executives or union representatives and won a precedent-setting case in the Supreme Court of Canada involving the dismissal of a labour union president. He has also acted as a spokesperson in collective bargaining contexts.

In the field of occupational health & safety, René was centrally involved in a case dealing with air quality that required complex expert evidence and the preparation of numerous witnesses. The case was before the court for some 100 days.

In the field of human rights, René has represented clients in a number of discrimination cases before the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (Quebec human rights and youth protection commission), the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal, and the Quebec Court of Appeal.

His expertise in cases involving complaints of psychological harassment is also well known. In addition to representing clients before the courts in such matters, he has also given   conference presentations and training sessions in this area.

René is also a director of the Fondation du Cégep du Vieux Montréal, a college foundation.

Associations & Achievements
Since 1995 - Cégep du Vieux-Montréal Fondation

1986 - President, Montreal-North Chamber of Commerce

Presentations & Conferences
2010 - "Impact of a criminal record on employment", Langlois Kronström Desjardins.

2004 - "Psychological Harassment: New But Not So New", presentation to a number of employers.

2002 - "Teachers in Quebec: Situation, Performance Evaluation and Job Termination", presentation at a seminar on education organized by Lorman.

2002 - "The Professional Independence of Teachers", presentation at a seminar of the Fédération des commissions scolaires du Québec.

1998 - "Dilemmas of Professional Ethics and Conduct in Education", presentation at a seminar on ethics and rules of professional conduct in education organized by the Fédération des commissions scolaires du Québec.

1998 - "Privacy in the Workplace: Electronic Surveillance and Tailing in a Labour Relations Context", presentation at a conference lunch organized by the Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties Section, the Administrative Law Section, and the Labour Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association.

1998 - "Standards of Conduct for Educational Institutions and the Professionals Who Work for Them", presentation at a seminar on recent developments in education law.

1997 - "Compulsory School Attendance and the Young Offenders Act", presentation at a seminar organized by two Montérégie school boards.

1995 - "Recent Rulings of the Court of Appeal on the Integration of Handicapped Children", presentation at a seminar on recent developments in education.

1993 - "Job Enrichment", workshop held during an Association des cadres scolaires du Québec symposium.

1992 - "Rights and Obligations of Employers Regarding Employees", presentation  to the Montreal-North Chamber of Commerce.

"Disciplinary Management " (management and understanding of the role of managers in authority over their staff), training offered to numerous employers.

"Rights, Duties, and Obligations of School Board Trustees": Ethical Problems, training offered to trustees.

A number of training activities for executives of various school boards on the topics of employee classification, disciplinary management, integration into regular classes or special streaming for students who are disabled or have learning difficulties, and psychological harassment in the workplace.

Publications
1995 - Les récents jugements de la Cour d'appel en matière d'intégration des enfants handicapés (Recent Rulings of the Court of Appel on the Integration of Handicapped Children), Développements récents en droit scolaire 1995, Cowansville: Éditions Yvon Blais

1998 - La norme de conduite des institutions d'enseignements et des professionnels à leur service (Standards of Conduct for Educational Institutions and the Professionals Who Work for Them), Développements récents en droit scolaire 1998, Cowansville: Éditions Yvon Blais

Representative mandates
Labour relations   
Has represented employers in cases involving dismissal and disciplinary measures.

Human rights   
Has represented clients in discrimination cases before the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (Quebec human rights and youth protection commission), the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal and the Quebec Court of Appeal.