Les Avocats Rancourt, Legault & St-Onge
In 1969, Mtre Gilles Hébert founded our legal firm. In partnership with Mtre Henri Renaud, their office was situated at 25 St-Hélène in Valleyfield, under the name Hébert & Renaud. There were only five legal firms at the time in Valleyfield.
At the beginning of the 70’s, Mtre Gilles Hébert obtained the contract of Provincial Crown Solicitor for the district of Beauharnois; at the time, lawyers working full-time for the civil service did not handle the work. Mtre Gilles Hébert distinguished himself in the fields of criminal law, and later civil and commercial law, for over 22 years while Mtre Henri Renaud died prematurely at the age of 42, after making a career change and working for a Montreal-based insurance company. Appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1987, Mtre Gilles Hébert became a Superior Court judge in December 1991.
In 1971, the late Yves Ampleman and François Renaud, both young lawyers in Valleyfield, joined the firm of Hébert & Renaud to form Hébert, Ampleman & Renaud. Two years later, Mtre Henri Renaud left for Montreal and Mtre François Renaud and Mtre Yves Ampleman split up. Mtre Gilles Hébert continued his law practice with Mtres Pierre Laberge, Micheline Montpetit, Robert Lafontaine and Michel Mercier. Their offices were situated at 85 Champlain in Valleyfield until 1975. It is interesting to note that Mtres François Renaud, Pierre Laberge, Robert Lafontaine, Michel Mercier, as well as Gilles Hébert will all ascend to the bench.
In 1975, Mtres Gilles Hébert, Robert Lafontaine and Michel Mercier, under the name Hébert, Lafontaine & Mercier, moved to new premises built for the firm at 139 Salaberry in Valleyfield.
Mtre Robert Lafontaine left the firm in 1981 to join the legal aid office in Valleyfield, and later in Longueuil.
In 1981, Mtre Jocelyn Rancourt began his legal career as a student at Hébert, Lafontaine & Mercier. At the time, the firm was composed of four lawyers and two students. Following the departure of Mtres Robert Lafontaine, Michel Mercier and L'Écuyer, Mtre Jocelyn Rancourt became a partner with Mtre Gilles Hébert, in 1985.
In 1981, Mtre Michel Mercier ran for the Liberal party in the riding of Beauharnois-Salaberry during the April 1981 elections. He continued to practice law at Hébert, Mercier, L'Écuyer & Rancourt until 1983, at which time he took a sabbatical. He later joined the legal aid office in Valleyfield, before being appointed Quebec court judge in 1989.
In keeping with the tradition of excellence of the firm, Mtre Jocelyn Rancourt was also appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1992 by then Justice Minister Kim Campbell. As Mtre Michel Mercier before him, Mtre Jocelyn Rancourt was named commodore of the Valleyfield International Regatta.
In 1984, having finished her articling at a Montreal firm, Mtre Marie Legault joined Hébert & Rancourt. She moved to Valleyfield and became actively involved in the community. President of the Valleyfield Chamber of Commerce in 1990 and 1991, she was also involved in the Valleyfield Economic Development Corporation and in the foundation of the Centre hospitalier de la région du Suroît. She sits on the board of the hospital centre.
Mtre François Boucher left his native Laurentians in 1986 to join the team of Mtres Gilles Hébert, Jocelyn Rancourt and Marie Legault. With his ten year legal experience, he soon took over complex civil and commercial cases. Member of the Valleyfield Richelieu Club soon after his arrival in the region, he also joined the Club d'administration de Valleyfield and became President in 1998-1999.
He worked in conjunction with Mtre Richard Lafontaine who practised law in Valleyfield during close to 40 years and was legal advisor to our firm from 1987 to 1991.
In 1987, our firm became Hébert, Rancourt, Legault & Boucher.
In 1987, the partners of Hébert, Rancourt & Associés bought a landmark building in Valleyfield know as the "Château Martineau", located at 175 Salaberry.
The building our firm occupies since 1987 has an interesting history of its own.
Built in 1890, at 303 Dorchester Boulevard in Montreal, the materials had been imported from Scotland by Sir Hugues Allen. In 1941, Mr. Martineau bought the property and had it disassembled and moved by barge on the old Beauharnois Canal. The stones and woodwork were numbered for reassembly. Mr. Martineau lived in the house from 1944 to 1954. Another lawyer occupied the premises in the 60’s and 70’s. Mtre Lauzon lived at the Château where he also had his Quebec Crown Solicitor offices. Transformed into a restaurant and a bar, the Château was restored in 1987 and the original divisions of the upstairs bedrooms were rebuilt to serve as offices for our lawyers.
In 1989, Mtre Sylvie Anne Godbout joined our firm. Having practised municipal law in Gatineau for some six years, she developed this field for the three 3 MRC of the Beauharnois district. Interested in the development of our region, Mtre Sylvie Anne Godbout participated in the Beauharnois-Salaberry Economic Development Corporation. She also sits on the board of the SOLIDE, an organisation we helped finance from its beginning in 1993.
Following the departure of founding member Mtre Gilles Hébert in December 1991, our firm once again changed its name to Les Avocats Rancourt, Legault, Boucher & Godbout.
Mtre Sonia St-Onge joined our firm in autumn 1996. Having practised in family law, she specialised in this field. Mtre Sonia St-Onge soon got involved in a variety of organisations and became President of the Réseau des Femmes d'affaires du Québec and of the Maison Familiale de Valleyfield in 1997-1998. She was President of the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Chamber of Commerce from 1999 to 2001.
In may 2001, we opened an office in Châteauguay, at the Place D'Anjou, located at 265 D'Anjou Boulevard. We wish to extend our services to the greater region of Châteauguay and by extending our territory, offer a wider range of specialised services to our clientele. We see in the proximity to Montreal a further advantage for all our clients. The opening and organisation of this new office was duly planned to ensure the quality of our services. Our clients of Valleyfield and Châteauguay will benefit from the combined resources of these two offices.
Although our firm has been in existence for 30 years, it is resolutely turning to the future. Aside from the three partners, a team with less than ten years experience is ready to take over.
Mtre Carl St-Onge has just finished his articling in 2001 and has joined our team to practise municipal and family law. Mtre St-Onge is already active in the community, participating in Moisson Sud-Ouest and the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Optimist Club.
Starting in 2003, the firm now operates under the name Les Avocats Rancourt Legault & St-Onge.
Mtre Manon Bédard has joined our firm in 2003 to practise general civil law. She is a lawyer since 2000.
In september 2003, Mtre Jean-François Primeau has joined our firm. Is a member of the Bar since 1992. He practises civil and commercial laws since 1994. He was the political attaché of the MCA for Châteauguay and minister of Municipla Affairs, Sports and Leisure from 1999 to 2003.
Awards and distinctions
Concerned with the development of our community, our firm was an investing partner in the Beauharnois-Salaberry SOLIDE in 1993, thereby contributing to job creation.
On April 11th, 1992, the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Chamber of Commerce recognised the excellence of our firm by awarding us the best company award in the "marketing" category for 1992.
For her involvement in the community, Mtre Sonia St-Onge received in 1999 the award of businesswoman of the year from the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Chamber of Commerce.
Over the years, our firm has received a number of distinctions recognising the quality of its members. The Canadian Department of Justice appointed two of our lawyers Queen’s Counsel, namely Mtre Gilles Hébert, in 1987 and Mtre Jocelyn Rancourt, in 1992.
With the dawn of another century, we are therefore ready to take on another 30 years of legal services to our clients.
