Pascale Pageau
Determined to make others happy in achieving their professional and personal goals, I support each of my clients, lawyers and colleagues with authenticity, strength and conviction.
Biography
As a lawyer, businesswoman and corporate director, Pascale Pageau founded Delegatus – Lawyers Collective in 2005 and is still its president today. Delegatus was born out of her need to succeed in everything by fulfilling both her professional and personal aspirations. Motivated by her dream of achieving everything and fuelled by her rebellious side, she wanted more freedom in the way she lived her life. Pascale wanted to create a model that could please the most demanding business clients while respecting the ambitions of freedom-hungry lawyers like herself.
The Delegatus business model was built around three main pillars: freedom and self-determination, human values and a collaborative approach between colleagues and with clients. This New Law concept completely overturned the traditional model that was dominant in the legal industry at the time.
The Collective now numbers close to 50 lawyers, notaries and paralegals, and continues to grow by continually questioning the status quo, reinventing traditional methods, and advancing the practice of law. Under Pascale’s leadership, Delegatus has grown steadily from year to year since its inception. Her talent and vision have earned her numerous accolades, including being named one of Quebec’s Top 10 regional law firms and one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies, the Profit 500.
As well as managing Delegatus, Pascale is involved in the business and community sectors. She is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Réseau des femmes d’affaires du Québec and Juripop. As a woman entrepreneur, she thrives on supporting local entrepreneurs and promoting the advancement of women in business and in the legal profession.
Professional affiliations and community involvement
- Chair of the Board of Directors of the Réseau des femmes d’affaires du Québec | Since 2023
- Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Juripop | Since 2022
- President of the Canadian Bar Association, Quebec Branch | 2019-2020
- Vice-President of the Canadian Bar Association, Quebec Branch | 2018-2019
- Active member of the Cheffe de file group (programme run by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec to accelerate the growth of women’s businesses in Quebec) | Since 2018
- Founder and member of Les Femmes du W, a group of Montréal businesswomen | Since 2013
- Member of the Réseau des femmes d’affaires du Québec (RFAQ) | 2008
- Member of numerous committees and councils of the Bar of Montreal, the Quebec Bar and the Canadian Bar Association, including committees on women in the profession and the organizing committee for the Quebec Bar’s annual conference and the national Women in Leadership conference | Since 2004
- Member of the Groupement des chefs d’entreprise du Québec | Since 2004
- Member of the Canadian Bar Association | Since 2001
- Secretary of the International Women’s Forum – Montreal Chapter | 2017
- Honorary member of the Young Bar of Montreal | Since 2005
- President of the Young Bar Association of Montreal | 2005
Practical information
- “Business Leadership for In-House Counsel” course (Rothman University, Toronto and CBA), leading to the “Certified In-House Counsel” certification, Canada CIC.C | 2018
- Courses and certificates in various areas of management, École d’Entrepreneurship de Beauce
- LL. B., summa cum laude, Université de Montréal | 1997
Before founding Delegatus in 2005, Pascale worked for seven years in the civil and commercial litigation groups at Desjardins Ducharme and BCF.
- Named in the Commercial Litigation category, The Best Lawyers™ in Canada | 2022 and 2023 Directory
- Top 100 most influential women in Canada, Women’s Executive Network (WXN) | 2020
- Named Lawyer Emeritus, Quebec Bar | 2018
- Named in 100 femmes leader au Québec : Le nouveau pouvoir, Entreprendre Magazine | 2018
- Finalist, Prix Femmes d’affaires, Entrepreneur category, Large company, Réseau des femmes d’affaires du Québec | 2017
- Recipient of the Zenith Award, Lexpert Magazine | 2017
- 17e and 18e in the PROFIT and Canadian Business W100 rankings of the best women entrepreneurs in Canada | 2015 and 2016
- Recognised as a Rising Star, Lexpert Magazine | 2015
- Litigation Lawyer to Watch, Guide to the Leading US-Canada Cross-border Litigation Lawyers, Lexpert | 2014
- Top 100 Canada’s Most Powerful Women – Trailblazers & Trendsetters category, Women’s Executive Network (WXN) | 2013
- Woman of influence of the future, Jury’s choice, La Presse | 2013
- Top 8 Quebec Female Entrepreneurs, First in Business | 2013
- Entrepreneur of the Year, First in Business | 2013
- Woman of Distinction, Entrepreneur category, Women’s Y Foundation | 2013
- Créatrice d’avenir, special prize: Creativity of the Delegatus Foundation, Les Affaires newspaper | 2012
- Businesswoman of the Year, Réseau des femmes d’affaires du Québec | 2008
- Young Professional of the Year, Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal, Arista | 2006
- Major energy company: action to obtain the injunctions needed to complete a project worth more than $1.3 billion.
- European company specialising in the environment: major construction litigation worth over $35 million.
- Major energy company: litigation manager and supervisor of the Delegatus team of lawyers in over 400 damage cases.
- Major energy company: defence, strategic commercial relations.
- As plaintiff and defendant in cases of alleged fraud and collusion.
- Major real estate fraud cases before the Superior Court and Court of Appeal involving novel questions of law and multiple seizures.
- Numerous seizures, reversals of seizures and injunctions, particularly during the student strike.
- Major landlord: complex, high-profile cases in lengthy trials in the Superior Court and Court of Appeal.
Pascale enjoys giving talks, sharing her vision and experience, discussing with other executives, founders and innovators, educating and influencing. She had the honour of speaking at the prestigious TEDxMontrealWomen in 2013. Her talks generally focus on entrepreneurship, women’s leadership and the future of the legal profession. In 2020, she was a speaker at the “Women in Business” conference presented by McGill University’s Desautels Faculty. More recently, she was a guest speaker at the launch of Parcours Novaré in 2023. In the past year, she was a panellist at an event organised by Espace OBNL to discuss the role of the chair of the board of directors of an NPO.
She also gives regular interviews on the evolution of the legal profession, NewLaw, innovative business models, societal innovations, and the right to be happy and successful in one’s professional and personal life.
- La Presse
- Les Affaires
- Canal Argent, Télé-Québec, Noovo…
- The Canadian Corporate Counsel Association’s Leading Corporate Counsel magazine
- Le journal du Barreau
- Canadian Bar Association National magazine
- Le Monde juridique magazine
- Entreprendre magazine
- Lifestyle magazines: Coup de pouce, Elle Québec, Véro…
- Other media