Philippe Charlebois

Philippe Charlebois is a lawyer with more than ten years of experience in Canada and the United Kingdom in energy law, construction law, and the professional services and infrastructure industries. He acts as a true business partner to his clients, ensuring that their legal obligations are aligned with their strategic business objectives. His expertise, developed through major projects within a world-renowned engineering firm, has enabled him to build a multidisciplinary and collaboration‑driven approach. Known for his ability to foster strong, lasting relationships, Philippe promotes value‑creating legal solutions tailored to his clients’ complex challenges.

Philippe served as Legal Counsel at AtkinsRéalis for six years, advising several divisions of the company in Canada and the United Kingdom.

In Canada, Philippe supported the company on major light rail projects (REM, Trillium Extension Line) throughout the execution of these multibillion‑dollar programs. He also worked within the Dispute Resolution Centre of Excellence at AtkinsRéalis, where he provided strategic leadership on claims filed against the company, both in Canada and internationally, to ensure they were resolved in line with business objectives.

In the United Kingdom, Philippe acted as a business partner for the Transportation division, a business unit generating over £500M (CAD $930M) in revenue and highly active in the rail sector. In this role, he was involved at every level to support strategic objectives and mitigate legal risks.

In his most recent role at AtkinsRéalis, he supported Candu Energy, the company’s nuclear energy subsidiary in Ontario. He provided comprehensive legal support to project teams, including contract negotiations, internal governance, compliance, and risk management.

Early in his career, Philippe practiced as a litigation lawyer in professional liability and insurance law at Clyde & Co Canada. He led defence strategies and managed complex claims, primarily in construction law and professional liability. Philippe also practiced at Miller Thomson in municipal and administrative law.

In-house

• Member of the negotiation team for the refurbishment of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station in Ontario (value: over CAD $1B): active participation in negotiations with Ontario Power Generation Inc., setting business objectives tied to negotiations, supporting the project team in internal governance, and negotiating major project delivery contracts.
• Member of the project team for an Ottawa light rail project: claim review, execution strategy, subcontractor management, and resource optimization.
• Active participation in mediation for a major infrastructure project in Montreal: submission of claims, negotiation with project insurers, and strategic reassessment using expert analysis.
• Full management of the legal response to a data breach caused by an employee: coordination with external counsel, collaboration with business units, and swift implementation of decisive measures.
• Lead strategist in managing the bankruptcy of a contractor client and the novation of contracts to a new client.
• Management of a claims portfolio: preliminary liability assessment, development of financial‑impact mitigation strategies, management of external counsel, and drafting of legal liability opinions.

Private practice

• Defence of a general contractor following a water main break in downtown Montreal: negotiations with third parties, collaboration with experts, settlement strategy, and court advocacy.
• Defence in professional liability matters: case review, initial strategy development, collaboration with experts, settlement strategy, and court advocacy.
• Defence in insurance coverage claims: coverage analysis, settlement strategy, and court advocacy.