André Sasseville

André Sasseville has practiced labour and employment law since the beginning of his career. During his many years of practice, he has acted as strategic advisor and spokesperson for a wide variety of employers in negotiating collective agreements and resolving labour disputes. He is an acknowledged expert in crisis management.

He represents clients on a regular basis before specialized labour tribunals and civil law courts, including in class action matters.

André routinely advises businesses on the interpretation of collective agreements and on how to implement changes in human-resources management, including collective layoffs and technological changes. He has extensive experience representing employers before provincial and federal labour relations boards in unionization and union raiding matters, among others.

In cooperation with his network of Quebec, Canadian and North American law practitioners, André is often called upon to advise foreign businesses on transfers, acquisitions and sales of businesses with large numbers of employees. In this regard, he has developed special expertise in the negotiation of facilitating conditions for executives (golden parachutes, bonus plans, etc.) and in designing prevention strategies.

Businesses regularly consult André regarding the negotiation and drafting of employment agreements for their executives, including the development of incentive programs, bonus plans, stock option programs, and supplementary pension plans.

André has appeared on many occasions before all levels of the civil courts, and is thus familiar not only with their official procedures but with their practices and idiosyncrasies. He has taken on many hundreds of cases involving employment practices, pension plans, fiduciary duties and directors’ liability.

André is a certified mediator, and has developed and implemented effective conflict prevention and resolution methods, particularly with respect to interpersonal conflicts and psychological harassment in the workplace. He is a member of a select group of mediators that use “partnering” to resolve conflicts affecting groups of employees. With many years of experience as a lecturer and training instructor, he offers clients made-to-measure business training programs on subjects specific to human resources management, conflict prevention, and labour relations.

In his practice, André advises and represents his clients from a strategic perspective oriented towards resolving disputes and misunderstandings efficiently and advantageously. His extensive experience enables him to act effectively in urgent situations and in cases of critical importance for the organization.