Is Montreal, Quebec's most populated city, the new port of entry for Europeans willing to work with North America? A recent trend observed by our Eurojuris members in this city shows the Francophone province of Canada has a lot to offer for those willing to do some Law business in the New World...
To speak with Alain Lecours (EJ Canada), you must first contact his lawfirm and talk with a lady with the typical, colourful Quebecois accent: almost a language of its own. And still, while discussing with Alain, we discover how the young professionals of the Francophone city have a talent for switching languages and interacting with different cultures. “There is a certain feeling of multiculturalism in Montreal, with a lot of people originating from Italy, Greece, Latin America,” he explains. “If a foreigner comes with respect, he will be welcome!”
His lawfirm is active in corporate law but he mostly deals with small to midsized companies. “In a little more than twenty years, cultural and commercial exchanges between France and Quebec went considerably higher. Instead of going to the United States, French people come to Montreal to put their first foot on the Northern American continent. As a lawyer, this growth seems obvious to me.”
It also works in the opposite direction: “Up until 2008, Quebec companies were mostly dealing with the rest of North America. Since then, they have been looking towards Europe instead. It doesn't mean they are completely turning their back on the United States, of course. But there is a clear rise in transatlantic deals”.
His colleague Quentin Leclercq shares this opinion. He came from Lille, France, to Montreal for personal reasons and has been working with Alain for 2 years. “I can divide our European customers roughly into two categories: first, those who settle here, and who are mostly companies rather than indvidiuals; and second, those who want to open a branch here to enter North America as a whole”.
He himself experienced it first-hand when a French insurance company outsourced their legal assistance service to Montreal and invited him to join. This was his first job in Montreal before joining Alain's firm. “It was efficient also because of the time zone: working normal hours, I could answer the phone for French customers who needed assistance late in the evening!”
Alain tells us more about these foreign customers: “They are mostly Francophone Europeans from France or Belgium. They may be rich people but some are simply average entrepreneurs. They all come here looking for diversity in their investments, or to outsource some of their activities. For example, I was contacted by a French clerk who wanted to buy buildings here in Montreal, to add a different kind of income to his investments”.
Business is reportedly simple in Quebec, especially in corporate law. “Montreal may well become a crossroad for Francophones instead of New York City”, says Alain. “People in Quebec speak French but they are used to communicating in English as well.
Quentin adds another element: “Montreal is an interesting deal for service companies. Real estate is also more affordable than in Toronto or Vancouver for example”.
How about interacting with European lawyers? Quentin says, “We use Eurojuris lawyers a lot. Especially when we face inheritance cases: you have to know that, in Canada, it is possible to ban your children from your will, whereas this is impossible in France, so some French people settle here in old age to arrange this. Sometimes we also have cases of couples of mixed origin, one spouse French and the other Quebecois, in which case we need to work with French lawyers to deal with the divorce”. So if you are ready for a change, why not try Montreal?
Do you have an experience outside of Europe? Do you want to talk about big changes happening in your city or country? Please let us know at journalist@eurojuris.net
