Prévost Notaries is a law firm specializing in commercial real estate law and family law. Experienced and efficient, the firm possesses cutting-edge expertise and continues, day after day, to facilitate your decisions and transactions.
Let’s simplify business.
Our services
- Commercial real estate
- Major residential real estate
- Expertise in examining titles and writing detailed reports
- Business financing
- Buying and selling of enterprises
- Corporate law
- Inheritance law
- Specialized civil law
- Estates
- Trusts
A leader in civil and business law, Prévost Notaries serves a clientele that includes major law firms, property owners, financial institutions, retail businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises, public bodies and religious institutions.
With its simple and effective structure, Prévost Notaries provides top-quality professional services that fit its clients’ needs.
Our Team
Combining business and practice
Bringing a large dose of vitality to the firm, together with strong administrative skills, Angelo Febbraio is highly involved in the client development of Prévost Notaries. He has excellent abilities in business and communication and shows great poise and objectivity in managing his files.
He has solid experience in commercial real estate law and in managing major projects in residential real estate law. Among other areas, he specializes in business financing and plays an active role carrying out commercial real estate transactions of all kinds.
Direct line
514 392-9013
Email
afebbraio@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
2013
COMPETENCE AND EFFECTIVENESS
With extensive experience as a legal expert and notary at various firms and practices, including Prévost Notaries, Magali Paquette is recognized for her dedication, perseverance, integrity, discipline and attentiveness.
As a specialist in commercial real estate law, she examines complex property titles and writes detailed reports. She plays a role in drafting various loan, purchase and sale agreements as well as other contracts in areas related to real estate.
For many years, she lectured at Université de Montréal in real estate ownership transfers.
Direct line
514 392-9022
Email
mpaquette@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
1990
WHEN YOUTH AND RIGOUR GO HAND IN HAND
Vincent Côté already has many years of experience in the notarial field. He is recognized for his thorough and meticulous nature.
With his passion for real estate law, he works primarily in examining real estate titles, writing reports on titles and arranging financing. He is also involved actively in other transactions handled by the firm.
Direct line
514 392-9012
Email
vcote@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
2015
PASSION AND PURPOSE
Prévost Notaries team member Nathalie Moreno Falla has acquired extensive experience in her notarial career. She serves the firm’s clients with passion, purpose and singular devotion.
As a specialist in inheritance law and trusts, as well as corporate law, she accompanies clients through their life transitions. She is, among other things, called upon to take part in estate and inheritance planning, including complex estate settlements and the various steps involved in companies’ existence.
She is a speaker at numerous events organized by financial institutions.
Direct line
514 392-9023
Email
nmorenofalla@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
2013
ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM
Salma Chikhi has worked for a few years in residential real estate law before joining the Prévost Notaries team in 2018 where she has since been practicing in the area of commercial real estate law. She works with a contagious energy and spares no effort to satisfy the needs of the firm’s clients.
She contributes to the smooth running of the files in order to ensure their efficient completion under her responsibility. She is also a very important asset in the context of the sales of large co-ownership building units.
She is a member of the RÉA Foundation’s Young Ambassadors Committee, participating to the financing of physical rehabilitation with the goal of improving the quality of life of people living with a disability.
Direct line
514 392-9032
Email
schikhi@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
2014
WHEN RIGOUR MEETS EMPATHY
Since she began her career as a notary, Marie-Josée Fiset has acquired an extensive professional experience having worked in various law firms. Over the years, she has practised in diverse area of law, including real estate, commercial financing and civil law.
Today, Marie-Josée specializes herself in civil, family and succession law, where her rigour and attentiveness are put at the service of her clients, helping them organize their personal life. Whether it is in the drafting of marriage agreement, wills or protection mandates adapted to the needs of her clients, or in the implementation of non-contentious procedures and the settlement of simple or complex successions, she commits herself entirely in her work.
Furthermore, Marie-Josée is accredited by the Chambre des notaires du Québec to act as an identity verification agent as well as in non-contentious proceedings before a notary.
Direct line
514 392-9016
Email
mjfiset@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
1993
Conscientious and dedicated
Holder of a foreign bachelor’s degree in civil law since 2000, Rita Bou Sader joined the team in 2022 after obtaining her master’s degree in notarial law. Her versatility and atypical background allow her to adopt a dynamic and original approach in handling files.
Passionate about her profession, she works mainly in the field of real estate law.
Direct line
514 392-9922
Email
rbousader@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
2023
When experience and wisdom go together
Pierre Venne has been practicing law for over 50 years. His notarial practice is mainly oriented towards business law, including the acquisition and financing of major real estate projects, both in the energy sector (pipelines, hydroelectric dams, wind turbines) and in the commercial sector (office buildings, hotels, residential towers).
He also advises his various clients in corporate, testamentary and fiduciary matters.
Direct line
514 866-9670
Email
pvenne@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
1972
Thoughtful and creative
Kim Isings began her notary career after studying common law and civil law at McGill University by opening her own doors in a small local town. She gained experience in various fields before discovering that her main passion lay in supporting people through difficult stages of their lives. She therefore oriented her practice to pursue her passion and developed considerable experience in succession and trust law, estate planning and non-contentious procedures by working for trust companies, various firms and continuing her studies, earning her the title of Trusts and Estates Professional from the STEP organization.
Direct line
514 866-9676
Email
kisings@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
2007
Refreshing and discreet
With the firm since her internship, Kayla Di Re serves her clients with enthusiasm, dedication, and a fresh perspective. Focusing primarily on estate planning, succession law, and non-contentious proceedings, she is ready to guide and support clients through significant transitions in life.
Eager to contribute her knowledge, she is also a speaker at conferences organized by financial institutions and government agencies.
Direct line
514 866-9679
Email
kdire@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
2024
Pragmatic and dynamic
Bianka Beaulieu has developed her expertise in commercial real estate working in a national renowned law firm, setting up financial agreements on behalf of financial institutions, as well as private lenders, and borrowers. Her practice is characterized by a pragmatic and dynamic approach, which is essential in business relationships. She can easily grasp the challenges of each file and guarantee tailor-made support.
Whether the project involves real estate development, real estate acquisition and financing, or corporate financing, Bianka is committed to proposing appropriate solutions and establishing a lasting relationship of trust with each of her clients. Her entrepreneurial spirit enables her to anticipate the needs of the clients and develop innovative and effective strategies. Her practice also involves drafting and negotiating a wide range of real estate contracts and corporate documents, as well as notarial certification, including apostilles.
Outside of her legal practice, her involvement with Let’s Bond, an initiative devoted to the cause of mental health, testifies of her desire to make a positive contribution to the community.
Direct line
514 866-9675
Email
bbeaulieu@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
2021
HUMAN AND METHODICAL
Marilou Gallant has been a member of the Prévost Notaries team since the very beginning of her journey in the legal field. Her varied interests and insatiable curiosity make her one of the few notaries to work in most of the firm’s areas of specialization: she practises in family law, notably in the settlement of successions, estate planning and non-contentious proceedings, as well as in corporate law and commercial real estate law particularly in title examinations and writing of detailed reports on titles. Her human yet methodical approach is a key element of our team, allowing her to combine precision and kindness to offer assistance tailored to her clients’ personal situations.
Marilou Gallant was co-editor-in-chief of the Revue de droit de l’Université de Sherbrooke, a generalist scientific legal journal, from 2023 to 2025. This experience enabled her to learn more about various areas of law and deepen her legal research skills, while developing her leadership and rigour. Creative and driven by nature, she is also greatly involved in the research, public legal education, financing and filming of our information capsules notably those regarding the parental union regime.
Direct line
514 982-9776
Email
mgallant@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
2025
Dedicated and versatile
Anne Hamelin opened her own office as soon as she finished her studies. Her father, Charles A. Hamelin, also a notary, joined the firm in 1995. Versatile and dedicated to her clients, Anne has had a traditional practice in real estate law, drafting of wills and mandates, celebration of marriages, settlement of successions, and non-contentious proceedings before a notary. In 2024, Anne Hamelin joined Prévost Notaries as a consulting notary to pass on the knowledge, acquired during 40 years, to our next generation of notaries.
Direct line
514 392-9033
Email
ahamelin@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
1985
Reliable and inspiring
Gérard Guay, emeritus notary, has been practicing as a notary since 1987. He now works as a consultant at Prévost Notaries.
Recognized specialist in the law of incapable persons, non-contentious proceedings, and successions, he has several skills up his sleeve. He is the author of several publications as well as deed and procedure templates in these fields, has contributed to the volume of ‘Successions and liberalities’ of the Québec “JurisClasseur”, and is responsible for the ‘Non-contentious proceedings’ section of the LegisPratique – Annotated Code of Civil Procedure. He has also been a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Montréal since 1995; at the Faculty of Law at the University of Sherbrooke since 2015, and at the Faculty of Continuing Education at the University of Montréal since 2022.
Gérard Guay worked as well as a lawyer from 1982 to 1987, during which time he practiced civil, commercial, and municipal law before the Courts of First Instance, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. He was President of the Chambre des notaires du Québec from 2014 to 2017 and President of the Réseau Notarial Plus from 2008 to 2013. He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association.
Recognized by his peers, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by the Chambre des notaires in 2013. He also received the Medal of Honor from the Faculty of Law of the University of Montréal in 2018.
Direct line
514 392-9033
Email
gguay@prevostnotaires.com
Chambre des notaires du Québec
1987
Our Achievements
Tour des Canadiens
Gare Windsor
Marché Central
The Prévost Notaries team has completed, collaborated on or participated in the development of many major projects, including:
reorganization and development of Montréal’s Marché Central;
residential development of the different phases of the Tour des Canadiens in Montréal;
acquisition of several Quad Windsor sites for Cadillac Fairview, including Windsor Station and the Deloitte Tower;
acquisition and development of several sites for real estate developer MACH;
acquisition of portfolios of residential buildings by CAPREIT Apartments;
land acquisition for development of the CSX Transportation intermodal terminal in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield;
acquisition of several sites for Canadian Tire Real Estate;
acquisition of airport sites by RAL Canada;
acquisition of more than 40 sites for Location d’Outils Simplex;
acquisition and financing of several sites for real estate developer Les Immeubles Alre;
financing of several hotel projects by Reliable Manufacturing & Supplies;
acquisition of the Hôpital de Sainte-Anne by the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l’Ouest-de- l’Île-de- Montréal;
restructuring of various religious communities;
acquisition, financing and development of properties for Magnus Poirier and Cimetière de Laval;
acquisition and financing of several sites for real estate developer Plan A.
Inform Yourself
The Parental Union Regime
Bill 56 creates the new parental union regime. This Bill will have a significant impact on a considerable portion of the Québec population, namely de facto spouses who will have or adopt a child together as of the coming into force of the Bill, on June 30, 2025.
Bill 56 has five main effects, three of which may require the intervention of your notary:
- the creation of a “parental union patrimony”;
- the extended protection of the family residence to parental union spouses; and
- the addition of a legal heir in the absence of a Last Will.
The other two main effects of Bill 56 are more likely to involve your family law lawyer, who will be able to provide you with more information about it:
- the possibility for the former parental union spouses to submit a claim for compensatory allowance; and
- the creation of new measures to counter judicial violence.
To discuss this new legislative amendment, and to allow you to learn more on this topic, three of our specialized notaries, Mtre. Marie-Josée Fiset, Mtre. Marilou Gallant and Mtre. Nathalie Moreno Falla, answer a few questions on the subject.
WHO IS SUBJECT TO THE PARENTAL UNION REGIME?
There are three general criteria to determine whether your relationship is subject to the parental union regime:
- you become de facto spouses or become de facto spouses again;
- Bill 56 defines de facto spouses as two persons who are the parents of the same child and who live together or who share a community of life and publicly represent themselves as a couple, regardless of how long they have shared such community of life (unlike tax laws, which define de facto spouses as those who have been living together for at least 12 months).
- you are not married, in a civil union, or already in a parental union with someone else; and
- you become the parents of a common child born or adopted on or after June 30, 2025.
Once you meet all three criteria, irrespective of the order in which they occur, you will probably be automatically subject to this regime. There are, however, certain exceptions that may require further analysis to determine whether you are indeed subject to the parental union regime. If you are not sure, consult your notary.
Download the chart summarizing our answer
We wish to emphasize that June 30, 2025, is a very important date. Indeed, the parental union regime will only apply to couples with a common child born or adopted on or after that date; it will not apply to couples whose children are all born or adopted before June 30, 2025. However, it is still possible for de facto spouses – who are neither married nor in a civil union – to voluntarily opt into the regime, regardless of the date of birth of their common child. We will come back to the point later.
Note that if your first common child was born in 2023 (before the coming into force of Bill 56), and your second common child is born in July 2025 (after the coming into force of Bill 56), your parental union regime will only begin at the birth of your second child.
Download the chart summarizing our example
If you have only one child in common, who was born prior to June 30, 2025, you will not be automatically subject to the parental union regime.
WHAT DOES “PARENTAL UNION PATRIMONY” MEAN?
The parental union patrimony is composed of certain specific assets owned by either one or both of the de facto spouses:
- the residences of the family (house, condo, cottage, etc.) or the rights that confer use of them;
- the furniture inside these residences that are used for the family (excluding collectors’ items); and
- the motor vehicles used for family travel.
Does that sound familiar?
It definitely sounds a lot like the assets forming part of the family patrimony, which is designed to promote economic equality between married or civil union couples. However, be aware that the parental union patrimony – unlike the family patrimony in the case of a married or civil union couple – can be tailored to your family situation: it is therefore possible to add or exclude certain assets, as the de facto spouses may see fit.
It will become possible to add assets to your parental union patrimony by signing an agreement between you, either in the presence of two witnesses or before a notary.
However, to exclude assets or completely withdraw from the application of the rules related to the parental union patrimony, you must sign a notarial deed, otherwise, your contract will be null and void. Note that we are discussing the possibility of opting out of the patrimony – not the regime itself –, as withdrawing from the regime is not permitted.
Should you wish to avoid having a parental union patrimony between you and your de facto spouse, be aware that starting from June 30, 2025, you will have 90 days from the beginning of the parental union between you to sign a notarial deed indicating your common refusal to establish such patrimony. In most cases, the birth of the common child will mark the beginning of the parental union, meaning that the couple will have 90 days following the birth (and not prior to the birth) of each child to visit their notary.
Finally, couples who would qualify for the parental union regime if it were not for the date of birth of their common child and who wish to subject themselves to the parental union regime will have the opportunity to sign an agreement in this regard, in the presence of two witnesses or before a notary. This voluntary opt-in will not be retroactive: the parental union will commence solely on the date of the signature of the agreement.
Given the numerous specificities of the parental union regime and patrimony, and to ensure that you make the right decisions, we strongly recommend meeting with your notary and signing any deed related to the parental union patrimony in his or her presence. This will allow you to benefit from his or her legal expertise and advice, as well as from the authentic nature of notarial deeds.
To summarize, if you are married or in a civil union with your spouse, you would be governed by the rules pertaining to family patrimony. However, if you are de facto spouses with a common child born or adopted on or after June 30, 2025, you automatically fall under the parental union regime, resulting in the formation of a parental union patrimony between you. To prevent such patrimony from being established, you would need to sign a notarial deed within 90 days following the beginning of the parental union (being most likely the birth of your child).
Do not forget that you may also withdraw from the parental union patrimony after the 90‑day period, but this will simply require more work – we discuss this below.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF HAVING A PARENTAL UNION PATRIMONY? WHY MIGHT I WANT TO OPT OUT?
The personal, financial and family situation of each couple dictates the advantages and disadvantages of having a parental union patrimony and must be carefully considered, given that at the end of the parental union, this patrimony will have to be dissolved – as it is already the case at the end of a marriage or a civil union. At the end of the parental union regime, calculations will be made to determine the divisible value of the parental union patrimony, and this amount will be divided equally between each of the former de facto spouses. One of them may therefore owe money to the other, again, just like in the case of a divorce, with the family patrimony.
According to Bill 56, there are three situations in which the parental union comes to an end:
- the de facto spouses cease to share a community of life – in other words, they break up;
- the death of either de facto spouse; or
- the marriage or civil union of one or both of the de facto spouses (together, or of one of them with someone else).
Therefore, as soon as the de facto spouses in a parental union wish to end their relationship, or upon the death of one of them, a notary must be consulted in order to proceed with the partition of the parental union patrimony and to calculate whether an amount should be remitted to one of the de facto spouses by the other.
Note that calculations will also have to be made if a couple with an existing parental union patrimony decides to voluntarily withdraw, by notarial deed, from the application of the parental union patrimony.
WILL DE FACTO SPOUSES IN A PARENTAL UNION BE ABLE TO REGISTER A “DECLARATION OF FAMILY RESIDENCE”? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
It is possible for anyone living in an immovable property owned by their spouse (this term refers to a couple that is married, in a civil union or in a parental union) to register a “declaration of family residence” against the immovable property.
When a declaration of family residence is registered against an immovable property, the de facto spouse who owns it must obtain the consent of his or her de facto spouse prior to selling or granting a hypothec (including or not a mortgage) on it. For instance, if your spouse is the sole owner of an immovable property against which a declaration of family residence has been published and he or she sells the property without your consent, you will have various legal recourses, which will vary depending on the circumstances, to seek compensation for the loss of your family residence (i.e. annulment of the deed, possibility of renting an apartment in the sold property, etc.).
In addition, if a de facto spouse is renting, either spouse may notify the property owner that the apartment serves as a family residence. The tenant will then be required to obtain the written consent of their de facto spouse before subleasing, assigning, or terminating the lease. A section to make such a declaration can be found at the end of the residential lease contract provided to renters and landlords by the Tribunal administratif du logement du Québec (formerly known as the Régie du logement).
Essentially, these rights already existed for married and civilly united couples. They now apply to de facto spouses in a parental union, up to 120 days after the end of their union.
WILL MY DE FACTO SPOUSE INHERIT FROM MY SUCCESSION?
If you do not sign a Last Will, the law will decide for you who will inherit your property upon your death, and in what proportion.
Up until June 29, 2025, your de facto spouse had no automatic right to inherit anything from you, unless you signed a Last Will in his or her favour. But if you were married or civilly united and had children, your spouse inherited 1/3 of your succession, and your children inherited the other 2/3.
If you did not have children, your spouse – with whom you were married or in a civil union –inherited 2/3 of your succession, and your parents inherited the other 1/3. And so on.
As of June 30, 2025, your de facto spouse with whom you are in a parental union will also be considered your legal heir, as if you were married or in a civil union. This is a huge advantage and means that the example mentioned before will also apply to de facto spouses in a parental union. However, be careful: this advantage does not apply to all de facto spouses, only those in a parental union – the three criteria mentioned before must still be met.
Should you desire to personally designate the individuals who will inherit your property upon your passing, or should you wish to redefine the proportions allotted to each of your legatees, rather than follow what the law dictates, we strongly recommend that you sign a notarial Last Will that properly reflects your last wishes. After all, that is what your notary is there for!
The answers to these questions provide an overview of the new parental union regime; they should therefore be read together. Reading a single answer may impact your understanding of the parental union regime. They are based on Prévost Notaries Inc.’s interpretation of Bill 56, as enacted on June 4, 2024. Changes and clarifications may be made in the future. Remain informed!
NOTA BENE
It is the responsibility of the notary to assist their clients in drafting and signing various deeds related to the parental union regime. The legislator has stipulated that in order to exclude assets from the parental union patrimony or to withdraw completely from the parental union patrimony, you must necessarily consult your notary. Otherwise, your agreement will not be valid according to law.
There are several other deeds that can be executed before a notary in connection with the new parental union regime:
- the deed enabling the inclusion of specific assets within the parental union patrimony;
- the deed to render a couple subject to the parental union regime (intended for those who were already parents of a common child prior to June 30, 2025);
- the written agreements between common-law couples, which establish the guiding principles of your relationship during and after your shared journey;
- the deed of partition of the parental union patrimony at the end of the union;
- the deed of renunciation to the partition of the parental union patrimony at the end of the union;
- the declaration of family residence, to be subsequently registered at the Land Registry, thus rendering it enforceable against third parties;
- the Last Will, should you wish to establish the identity of your heirs upon your death;
- etc.
We recommend that you discuss the various documents that may be relevant to your personal situation with your notary: he or she can advise you based on your needs and aspirations.