Me Martine Desroches
Me Martine Desroches graduated from the Département des Sciences Juridiques of the Université du Québec à Montréal and was admitted to the Bar in 1988. She opened her law office in 1989. Wanting to make a difference in people’s lives, she chose to practice in social law. From the beginning, she devoted herself exclusively to defending people injured at work, on the road, or by criminal acts. As time went on, always with the same goal in mind, she extended her practice to include the field of disability pensions from Retraite Québec.
Aware of the upheaval that accidents cause on all levels of people’s lives—physical, psychological, economic, social, and family—she organized a special way to process their files. Always attuned to her clients, she developed a more compassionate, reassuring way of meeting with them, and makes several staff members available to them, including experienced associates and involved paralegals. She starts by taking complete charge of the file and not simply the litigious aspect. She, therefore, offers to have qualified paralegals accompany clients through most of the stages as the file is processed by the agencies and ensures that all team members are available and ready to help.
In 1995, faced ever increasing demands, she hired a law student from the Université de Montréal, Sophie Mongeon, who became her partner in 2001, thereby forming Desroches Mongeon avocates, which was later changed to Desroches Mongeon avocats. In 2003, they moved into larger premises on St-Hubert Street. In 2013, Me Desroches was able to successfully pursue a project that was close to her heart. She expanded her team, joining with young lawyers and new associates, and built new premises at the corner of Beaubien Street and 26th Avenue in the Rosemont district in Montréal. With more space and more services, this more efficient new location is readily accessible and parking is easy. Everything has been done to make it easier for clients coming from all regions of Quebec to contact and meet with Me Desroches and her partner.
Me Desroches also has the support of a good team of administrative assistants and paralegals, not to mention some very talented young lawyers, and she has been collaborating for more than 25 years with recognized clinical partners.
Me Desroches is always concerned with keeping people informed, writes the newspaper Le Métro. Moreover, the articles are always written in a way that makes the jargon used in legal practice understandable. Me Desroches continues to offer training regarding industrial accidents and occupational diseases, designed for workers’ associations, unions, and any persons wishing to enhance their knowledge. Together with Dr. Brutus, she has also written a guide for victims of work-related injuries in which she answers the questions she has most frequently heard in her years of practice. Other similar types of brochures are now being prepared.
She is happy to welcome and thoroughly educate trainees, technicians, and lawyers to ensure there will be competent people to keep her work going.