How to file a complaint against a lawyer
When you file a complaint with the Office of the syndic regarding the conduct of a lawyer, but, following its investigation, the Office of the syndic decides not to file a disciplinary complaint with the Disciplinary Council, you can apply for a review of the decision by the Review Committee.
Note Your application for review must be received by the Registry Office within 30 days from the date of receipt of the syndic's decision. After this deadline, your application may be refused. The Review Committee will ask you to provide reasons for your lateness in order to assess whether or not it was impossible for you to act. The date of receipt of your application for review is determined by the stamp affixed by the Registry Office of the Barreau du Québec. You are therefore responsible for factoring in the necessary mailing time.
The role of the Review Committee is to ensure the quality of the investigation carried out by the Office of the syndic and the merits of its decision. The Committee does not hold hearings and will not meet with you. Applications for review are examined by three people: two lawyers acting as volunteers and one representative of the public named by the Office des professions. The Review Committee has approximately 90 days within which to render its decision. This deadline is not mandatory and a review may take more time.
Following its review, the Committee will issue one of the following opinions:
Note The opinion of the Review Committee will not contain the reasons that led to the decision.
If you have any questions or need additional information regarding an application for review, please contact:
Info-Barreau
Telephone: 514-954-3411 or 1-844-954-3411
E-mail: infobarreau@barreau.qc.ca