Montréal, June 22, 2011 – Lavery is pleased to announce that the Barreau du Québec has awarded Mr. Raphaël Schachter, Q.C. the title of Avocat émérite (Ad.E.).
This honour was created in 2007 to recognise sustained and outstanding contributions made by a select group of lawyers to the advancement of the profession, the work of the Barreau or their social or professional environment. Mr. Schachter joins an elite group of recipients, nine of whom are partners at Lavery.
“We are honoured that the Barreau du Québec has awarded the distinction of Avocat émérite to our colleague, Raphaël Schachter, who has had a remarkable career in criminal and penal law. Because of his commitment, professional rigor and a set of strong personal values, he has provided our clients, often under difficult circumstances, with counsel and services of the highest quality,” Élise Poisson, Managing Partner, stressed.
From the beginning of his career, Mr. Schachter has practised exclusively in the areas of criminal law, penal law and the penal aspects of competition law. He has appeared before courts of every level in Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada on numerous occasions.
After practicing as a Quebec Crown Prosecutor from 1969 to 1972 and Federal Crown Prosecutor from 1972 to 1976, Mr. Schachter became a senior partner in the law firm of Lapointe, Schachter, Champagne & Talbot. He later joined Lavery, de Billy as a partner and created the first criminal and penal law department in any major law firm in the Province of Quebec to serve the business community.
Appointed Queen's Counsel in 1986, and inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1994, Mr. Schachter was President of the Quebec Section from 2006-2008. He also authored an article on criminal law ethics and published in a textbook entitled Taking the Law Into Your Own Hands: Child Abduction and the Defence of Necessity, which compiled the texts of eight guests of honour who lectured at the University of Windsor Law Faculty during the previous eight years.
Mr. Schachter is listed in the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada in the area of criminal law. On April 8, 2011, the Université de Montréal launched the Raphaël Schachter, Q.C., Scholarship Fund that will be administered by its Faculty of Law.
This fund will provide support to students, organisations or initiatives associated primarily with the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Law and aimed at promoting or improving various aspect of criminal law including the fight against judicial mistakes.