Founding Member – Stephen J. Fogarty

The Fogarty Law Group was founded in October 2007 by Stephen J. Fogarty, of Étude légale Fogarty, the Fogarty Law Firm, located in Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Stephen Fogarty has been a member of the Québec Bar since 1986 and of the Law Society of Upper Canada (Ontario Bar) since 1991.

During his lengthy career, he has worked with several of the leading lawyers in the province of Québec in immigration law, administrative law, and criminal law matters. In addition to his own practice, since 2004 he has collaborated on a regular basis with the firm Harvey and Associates in Montréal in the capacity of special independent counsel on Canadian public law issues and governmment relations.

His files include matters such as: entrepreneur and investor cases; judicial review; appeals; inadmissibility cases; permit applications (work, study, visit); renewal of Permanent Resident Cards; citizenship cases; pardon, rehabilitation and permission to return to Canada (ARC) applications; and US “waiver” applications. Mr. Fogarty also continues to practice in criminal law.

Mr. Fogarty obtained an honours degree in philosophy and political science from McGill University. He was elected twice as a student representative to the University Senate. During his final year of BA studies, he was one of fourteen students drawn from the entire University population who received the “Scarlet Key” award.

He then moved to Ottawa, and gained detailed practical knowledge of federal government structures and procedures while working full-time for over three years as a research officer for the Library of Parliament of Canada. As an historic footnote, his name appears in the Final Report of the Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons published 1981 on the Constitution Act. During the same period, he completed his master's degree in philosophy at the University of Ottawa and licentiate in philosophy at St. Paul University.

Mr. Fogarty returned to Montreal and obtained his civil law and common law degrees at McGill. During his law school days, he was elected President of the McGill Law Students’ Association. As well, he was appointed as chief justice of the administrative review appeals tribunal for all McGill student associations.

Married with two children, Mr. Fogarty is involved in the community, having served in numerous volunteer capacities, including as a board member of educational and charitable institutions. He coached his son’s baseball team for several years, and obtained level 2 certification from Baseball Canada. In addition, he pursues his interests in photography, tennis, and classical music, and is studying violin with his daughter.

Mr. Fogarty has been interviewed by the media on numerous occasions. He has also given specialized conferences for lawyers, including a talk on inadmissibility issues at the most recent national congress of the Quebec Association of Immigration Lawyers (AQAADI), a session for the Canadian Bar Association (Quebec division) on appeals for entrepreneurs, and several conferences for the Association of Montreal Criminal Defence Attorneys (AADM).