Objectives and missions

Discussions & Reform

The first objective of the Lab is to enable sharing and discussions between practitioners, thinkers, researchers and judges who are interested in class action law and its practice not just in Quebec, but across Canada and around the world. In this respect, the Lab will, as a research centre, be a platform facilitating communication and information, and will also serve as a meeting place. As such, the Lab will be a space for reflecting on class action law reform, both locally and internationally.

Lab activities will include: building a database indexing class action judgments and consolidating empirical data relative to class actions; articles of doctrine addressing class action law issues; bloging facilitating the sharing of data and communication between specialists around the world; establishing a research and discussion group and providing varied opportunities for exchange and debate.

Data & Documents

Second, but no less importantly, the Lab will facilitate the collection of judicial data and statistics, as well as documentation related to class action law and its practice, and simplify the dissemination of theoretical and empirical knowledge about class actions. This exercise will ideally be undertaken in collaboration with Fonds d’aide aux recours collectifs (FARC), a Quebec fund that provides public financing for class actions under certain conditions. A virtual platform—specifically, a website—could be built and maintained to serve this purpose.

Lab activities will include: empirical research focusing on class action law practice; pilot projects; publication of research reports and doctrine.

Teaching & Scholarship

Third, the Lab will stimulate class action law teaching, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, as applicable not just in Quebec but internationally; it will enable the hiring of assistant and associate researchers; and furthermore, spur the development of programs, certificates and specializations on this topic. The Lab will also be a place to organize lectures, conferences and colloquia, and finance residencies for guest professors and specialists in class action law. Furthermore, it will secure financial support for specialized studies in class action law and award grants and bursaries or scholarships for academic excellence at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Legal Clinic

Lastly, the Lab will provide for the establishment and maintenance of a clinical program of the “legal information clinic” type, in which students will get involved in actual class actions for potential victims. This type of clinic will therefore enable development of this area of law, as well as support the implementation of a pro bono legal services program within the Faculty.

The Class Actions Clinic will offer legal information and will be involved in student-led real class action proceedings overseen by Professors Piché and/or other associate researchers or practitioners. The Clinic would also offer student internships for a short-, medium- or long-term with practitioners involved in actual class actions.

This content has been updated on April 17, 2015 at 12:53 am.