Me Hélène Guay
ME HÉLÈNE GUAY, Lawyer specializing in health law
Me Hélène Guay has been a member of the Bar since 1988. She has a Masters degree in Health Law from the University of Sherbrooke (1989) after earning her Bachelor’s degree at McGill University (1985). She has been familiar with the health care industry since 1975. She has built a health law practice geared primarily towards representing health service users and their loved ones. She goes to court to represent victims of medical mistakes and their families. She represents people who are the subject of claims pertaining to their abilities and safety. She represents people who have grievances, commissions of inquiry (coroners, professional orders). She speaks up for the rights of people before administrative authorities (Human Rights Commission, Public Trustee of Quebec). She is an advisor and speaker for human rights advocacy associations. Me Guay has developed know-how in representing seniors when it involves access to health services, protecting and advocating for their rights.
Since 1992, Me Guay has been teaching about the legal aspects of health and social services at university (Montreal, Sherbrooke, McGill). Since 2002, she has been a lecturer at the École du Barreau du Québec (Quebec Bar School) in the area of the rights of individuals. She has authored publications related to health law and individual rights (genetics, consent to care, judicial authorizations to provide care, elder abuse, etc.) In 2002, she organized a seminar for Ongoing Training on the Barreau du Québec, focussing on health facilities’ duty of security; which garnered much success! In 2009, she took part in seminars dealing with advocacy for the rights of victims of mistakes in care settings, in addition to representing these individuals. In 2014 and 2016, she published works on the legal aspects of elder abuse. She has an interest in the empowerment of older adults and other individuals. In 2015, she organized a seminar with the Association québécoise des droits des retraités et préretraités (AQDR) that focussed on keeping older adults at home. She has been a member of the AQDR’s Yvette Brunet jury over the past few years.