Catherine Jing Ou
ADMITTED TO THE QUEBEC BAR in 2020
EDUCATION:
McGill University (LL.M.)
Université de Montréal (LL.C.)
Shantou University (B.C.L.)
LANGUAGES:
English, French, Mandarin, Cantonese
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Arbitration (domestic and international)
Drafting tribunal working papers, representation before tribunals, commercial arbitration, investor-state arbitration, CIETAC Arbitration
Immigration Law
Family Sponsorship, Intra-Company Transferees, Start-up Visa Program, Labour Market Impact Assessment, Skilled Workers Immigration, Provincial Nomination Programs, Permanent Residence Card Renewal, Citizenship, Work permits, study permits, visitor’s visa, Extension Request or Application related to COVID-19
Family Law (Litigation)
Divorce, Separation, Dissolution, Child Custody, Access Rights, Child Support, Spousal Support, Parental Authority, Conjugal Violence, Permission to travel, Recognition of Paternity, Family Patrimony and Matrimonial Regime, Protection of Sensitive Information.
International Private Law
Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments involving family law aspects (especially in cases involving Asian countries)
Civil Procedure and Litigation
Drafting proceedings, litigation, settlement conferences, negotiations, representation before courts
Personal Injury
Medical malpractice, wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, partial permanent injuries, Total Temporary injuries, assistance for minor injuries, victims of violence
Elder Law
Mandates in case of inaptitude (Enduring power of attorney), mandates (power of attorney), tutorship, curatorship
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Catherine Jing Ou successfully completed her Master degree in Law at McGill University in 2014. She won the Excellence Scholarship for Graduate Studies from the Institute of Comparative Law of McGill. This comparative law education inspires her to write a 163 pages thesis on arbitration, which made her realize that legal writing is often a fight against oneself: persevere despite the length of the work, stay motivated despite the uncertainty that will follow the end of the work, and not be discouraged when the work requires more investment. These are the qualities that become part of her personality and work ethic.
Catherine successfully passed the Quebec Bar exam in 2019 after she obtained a Certificate in Law at the University of Montréal. She has been enrolled in the Bar of Québec in 2020 after working as a law intern in a national immigration law firm, in which she acquired massive experience in preparing permanent residence applications and temporary residence applications under both federal and provincial immigration programs. Her clients enjoy working with her as she is able to think one step further for the clients and she prepares the applications with rigor.
Catherine likes participating in a variety of contests. She won 2nd Prize in Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition in Beijing. She also won 1st Prize in the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Universities Debating Championship when she studied in China. Before she moved to Montreal, she worked with a senior prosecutor on conspiracy arson case and white-collar crime case at the Hong Kong Department of Justice.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
Catherine is a co-founder of Montreal Chinese Legal Information Clinic. She updated the Table of Concordance of Arbitration Acts for the National Introductory Arbitration Course for ADR Institute of Canada. She has been participating in a virtual/remote hearing project which involves lawyers of different jurisdictions. She is also a volunteer for the Young Bar of Montreal.