Business & Corporate Lawyers

Incorporating, drafting a shareholder agreement, negotiating a commercial contract, or falling out with a business partner — these are the moments a business lawyer handles. This page lets you compare business and corporate lawyers and book a consultation directly.

What a business lawyer does

The work spans the life of a company, from formation to sale:

• incorporation and choosing a legal structure
• drafting and reviewing commercial contracts
• shareholder and partnership agreements
• buying, selling or merging a business
• regulatory compliance and corporate obligations
• commercial disputes and shareholder litigation

Some questions sit just outside business law proper. Hiring and employment contracts fall under employment law, company taxation under tax law, and a commercial lease under real estate law.

When to get a business lawyer

The best time is before you sign, not after something goes wrong. Each of these moments involves commitments that are hard to undo, and advice at this stage usually costs far less than fixing a problem later. A lawyer can help at each of these moments:

• Incorporating or choosing a structure: a sole proprietorship, a partnership and a corporation carry different consequences for liability, tax and paperwork. A lawyer can explain the trade-offs for your situation, prepare the articles and by-laws, and handle your registration with the Quebec enterprise register (Registraire des entreprises).
• Drafting a shareholder agreement: when two or more people own a company, this agreement sets out who decides what, how shares can be sold, and what happens if a partner leaves, falls ill or dies. These rules are far easier to agree on while everyone still gets along.
• Signing a major contract or lease: a supply agreement, a franchise, a distribution deal or a commercial lease can bind the business for years. A review before you sign can catch unfavourable clauses on liability, renewal, exclusivity or termination.
• Buying or selling a business: a lawyer can check what is really changing hands (assets or shares, debts, existing contracts), negotiate the offer and the sale agreement, and coordinate the closing with the other professionals involved.
• A dispute with a partner, client or supplier: an unpaid invoice, a broken contract or a deadlock between shareholders. Early advice helps you protect your position, respect strict deadlines and often settle before it reaches court.
• Hiring your first employee: employment contracts, non-competition clauses and labour standards are a matter for employment lawyers, who often work alongside your business lawyer.

Not sure how to compare candidates? Our guide on how to choose a lawyer in Quebec covers the questions worth asking at a first consultation.

Lawyer, notary or accountant?

In Quebec these three roles overlap, which is why the question comes up so often.

A notary is a public officer who draws up notarial deeds, most often in real estate and estate matters. An accountant handles tax filings and financial statements. Only the lawyer can represent you before the courts — and that is who you go to as soon as there is a dispute, a contract to negotiate, or a real risk of litigation.

A purely tax question goes to the accountant, a property deed to the notary, and anything touching a contract, a relationship between partners, or a conflict, to the lawyer.

What a business lawyer costs

Fees depend on the lawyer's experience, the region, and how complex the file is. Two arrangements are common:

• Hourly billing — usual where the scope is hard to predict, such as a dispute.
• A flat fee — often offered for a well-defined mandate: an incorporation, a standard contract.

Ask for a written estimate before retaining anyone, and check what it covers. Filing fees, search costs and travel are sometimes billed on top.

Quebec is a civil law province

This is a substantive difference, not a technicality. Contractual relationships and civil liability in Quebec are governed by the Civil Code of Québec, while the rest of Canada applies common law. The rules on how a contract is formed, interpreted and terminated are not the same.

A lawyer admitted to the Barreau du Québec works within that framework. A contract template found online — usually drafted for Ontario or the United States — can be poorly suited, or simply ineffective, in Quebec.

Common questions

Do I need a lawyer to incorporate?

No. You can incorporate yourself, provincially through the Registraire des entreprises du Québec or federally through Corporations Canada. A lawyer earns their fee once there are several shareholders, unequal contributions, or an intention to bring in investors — in other words, as soon as the rules between people need to be written down.

Provincial or federal incorporation?

Provincial incorporation is done through the Quebec enterprise registrar, federal through Corporations Canada. The choice turns on where you intend to operate and how much name protection you want. It is a good first question for a consultation.

Can I write my own contract?

Nothing stops you. The risk is not that the document is void — it is that it is vague. Ambiguous or missing clauses are what end up being argued in court.

What should a shareholder agreement include?

It usually covers how decisions are made, how shares are valued and transferred, what happens when a shareholder wants to leave, and how disagreements are resolved. Each agreement is tailored to the company, which is why a generic template rarely fits. It is worth reviewing again when a new partner joins or the business changes direction.

Find a business lawyer

Compare the business and corporate lawyers listed on JustiConnect, review their practice areas, and book a consultation online: see business and corporate lawyers.