Operations and Management

Information for Parties to Dispute Prevention and Resolution Proceedings

Work meetings, pre-hearing conferences and hearings are held weekdays, from Monday to Wednesday, from 8h30am to 12h30pm and from 1h30pm to 4h30pm, except statutory holidays.

Thursdays and Fridays, during regular business hours, are reserved for internal operations. However, we remain available upon request to address urgent or specific issues.
Dispute prevention and resolution services offered through Praxis Forum are available in the English and French, at the choice of the parties. Upon the parties request, services may also be offered in Portuguese. 
For the purpose of promoting better access to justice and to ensure the fairness of dispute prevention and resolution proceedings, self-represented parties are advised to inform the arbitrator of their status without delay. Given the nature and the circumstances of the matter, the arbitrator may:
  • Explain the arbitration process;
  • Inquire, at any time during proceedings, whether both parties understand the process and the procedure;
  • Provide information or refer a self-represented party to an organization capable of supporting the party in the preparation and readiness of his or her case;
  • Provide a self-represented party with information relating to the availability and accessibility of legal, jurisprudential or doctrinal resources;
  • Modify the order in which proceedings are typically conducted, for example as regards the conduct of pre-hearing examinations and disclosures.
As an independent and impartial quasi-adjudicator, the arbitrator is prohibited from providing legal advice or recommendations to the parties. It is understood that self-represented parties are responsible for preparing and presenting their case before the arbitral tribunal.
While civil justice courts uphold the principle of open proceedings—where anyone may attend court hearings wherever they are held, and have access to court records and entries in the registers, such is not the case in private dispute prevention and resolution proceedings.

Arbitration hearings and procedural meetings are held in private. This said, a party wishing to be accompanied by a person other than his or her lawyer or counsel, must advise the arbitrator in writing, within 5 business days prior to any procedural meeting or hearing, so that the appropriate measures or written notices may be communicated in advance to other interested parties in the proceeding.
For information or assistance, or to provide the arbitral tribunal with advance notice, parties to an arbitral proceeding are invited to communicate with the arbitrator in the following manner:

During regular hours of operation:
by telephone: (514) 569-9238
by telefax: NIL/S.O.
by E-mail: secretariat@praxis-forum.com

After hour emergencies:
by text message complete with case number and details in regard to the urgent nature of the requisition to: (514) 569-9238.
Preliminary or procedural meetings or hearings may, for serious reasons, be postponed by submitting without delay, a written notice to secretariat@praxis-forum.com with the mention of ''adjournment request'' in the opening section of your e-mail. Please include the following details along with your request so that it may be processed effectively and without additional delays, or penalties, if any:
  • Reason(s) for the adjournment;
  • Prior consent of other parties;
  • Date, time and duration of meeting or hearing to postpone;
  • Experts or witnesses called to appear at scheduled hearing;
  • Alternate dates and times of availability for all parties, including experts and witnesses.
Your cooperation allows us to deliver fair, effective and affordable dispute prevention and resolution services.
A party may cancel a service request, without penalty, at any time before signing the arbitration protocole. To this end, please submit a written notice to secretariat@praxis-forum.com with the mention of ''cancellation'' in the opening section of your e-mail. 

A notice of reception will be sent to the parties at the earliest possible time. Please read our Cancellation Policy for general information on penalties and costs that may apply to the cancellation or discontinuance of a proceeding.
A party who wishes to discontinue a proceeding, may do so by submitting a written notice of discontinuance to secretariat@praxis-forum.com with the mention of ''discontinuance of proceeding'' in the opening section of the e-mail. 

A notice of reception will be sent to the parties at the earliest possible time. Please read our Cancellation Policy for general information on penalties and costs that may apply to the cancellation or discontinuance of a proceeding.
Parties who have made a transaction must, whether they reach their agreement in or outside the presence of the arbitral tribunal, without delay, terminate the proceeding by filing a written notice of settlement with the arbitral tribunal at secretariat@praxis-forum.com. A confirmation of reception will be sent to the parties at the earliest possible time. 

Your cooperation allows us to deliver fair, effective and affordable dispute prevention and resolution services.
Requests for orders or exceptional measures must be made in writing to secretariat@praxis-forum.com and provide detailed reasons as to why the arbitral tribunal's intervention is necessary. 

Upon receiving your request, the arbitral tribunal will send a notice of hearing to the parties, and their counsel, within the same or next business day in the case of urgent matters.

Your cooperation allows us to deliver fair, effective and affordable dispute prevention and resolution services.
Praxis Forum's dispute prevention and resolution services are available nationwide. Where business related travel is required, additional fees and costs may apply. 

Such fees and cost may include meeting or hearing room rental expenses, transportation costs, parking, postage or other mailing services expenses, long-distance or messaging fees, photocopy expenses and, where overnight stay is required per the terms of the service agreed upon; reasonable lodging and meal expenses may also apply and are shared equally by the parties, unless otherwise agreed or decided. 

Whenever possible, we make our best effort to avoid additional expenses. Please consult the Arbitration Rules for more information on possible service delivery fees and costs in the context of business travel.
  1. During arbitral hearings, parties and their counsel, witnesses and authorized observers as well, must remain silent to avoid disrupting proceedings.
  2. Photographing or video recording meetings or hearings is prohibited.
  3. Devices such as phones, laptops and audio recorders are permitted in the hearing room as long as the sound is muted and the use of the device is not otherwise disruptive.
  4. Translation and/or interpretations services are available, at cost, when requested by the parties and authorized by the arbitral tribunal.
  5. Abusive language or threatening behaviour of any kind is not tolerated during conferences, procedural meetings and hearings.