Former Québec premier Jean Charest is returning to the legal world. Four months after losing the Québec provincial election, Charest has been scooped up by the Business Law Group of McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Montreal branch. He will be joining the firm as a full equity partner.
Along with his law degree, Charest will bring many years of experience with him. “In 28 years of politics, the diversity of initiatives he has led in Québec, Canada and abroad, the scale of projects he has developed, the scope of agreements he has negotiated and concluded as well as the many challenging files he has had to manage, make him a unique resource to our clients,” says Marc-André Blanchard, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of McCarthy Tétrault.
This certainly isn’t the first time a former premier has transitioned from politics to law. McCarthys and Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP are now neck and neck, boasting two former premiers apiece on their payrolls: In addition to Charest, McCarthys has former Québec premier Daniel Johnson on staff as senior counsel, while Cassels houses two former Ontario premiers — Mike Harris (a senior business advisor with the firm) and David Peterson (the chairman). Which firm will score a hat trick first?
Image courtesy of Antoine Letarte via Wikimedia Commons