In 1842, he was named Queen's Counsel. He was bâtonnier for the Montreal bar in 1855 and 1856 and was dean for the law faculty of the Université Laval at Montreal. Cherrier became president of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal in 1853. He ran unsuccessfully for the position of mayor of Montreal in 1859. In 1865, he gave a speech to the Institut canadien-français opposing Confederation. He was named a knight in the Order of St Gregory the Great in 1869. Cherrier was also a vice-president of the St Vincent de Paul Society at Montreal. He owned much property at Montreal and inherited property from Denis-Benjamin Viger in Montreal and Île-Bizard. He served as director and later president for La Banque du Peuple.