Lavery is pleased to announce that it is renewing its partnership with AquaAction, which aims to support and strengthen innovation initiatives in the water industry. "It has already been close to five years since Lavery first decided to back AquaAction's cause by providing legal counsel to companies that are innovating in the water industry. We are excited to be renewing this partnership," says Isabelle Jomphe, Partner and Co-Head of Practice of the Intellectual Property group at Lavery. "At Lavery, we believe strongly in the importance of innovation to face environmental challenges. This partnership with AquaAction reflects our commitment to supporting young innovators and promoting sustainable solutions for water," says Sébastien Vézina, Partner at Lavery and General Secretary at AquaAction. More specifically, Lavery is renewing its support for the AquaHacking and AquaEntrepreneur programs for the province of Quebec. Lavery hopes to empower young entrepreneurs in Quebec by providing legal and strategic advice as well as training to develop and implement innovative solutions that tackle critical challenges related to water. "We are excited to announce the renewal of our partnership with Lavery, leveraging their legal expertise to propel innovation in water technology. Together, we aim to provide comprehensive support that fosters growth, ensuring the success and impact of groundbreaking solutions in the water sector." - Soula Chronopoulos , President of AquaAction A partnership for growth and innovationThis partnership demonstrates the power of collaboration and shared vision. Thanks to Lavery's expertise and resources, AquaAction is able to have an even bigger impact by empowering entrepreneurs, promoting innovation, and propelling sustainable solutions in the water industry. We are excited about the possibilities that this partnership opens up, and we celebrate the positive changes that it will bring about in our community. About AquaActionAquaAction is a registered charity, in Canada and the United States, founded in 2016. It was created to empower young innovators to restore and protect freshwater health. AquaAction has developed two programs based on innovation and water technology: AquaHacking, a startup pre-incubator, and AquaEntrepreneur, which pairs water tech startups with municipal or private sector clients to fast-track their commercialization. To learn more, visit aquaaction.org. About LaveryLavery is the leading independent law firm in Quebec. Its more than 200 professionals, based in Montréal, Québec City, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières, work every day to offer a full range of legal services to organizations doing business in Quebec. Recognized by the most prestigious legal directories, Lavery professionals are at the heart of what is happening in the business world and are actively involved in their communities. The firm's expertise is frequently sought after by numerous national and international partners to provide support in cases under Quebec jurisdiction.  

Following a qualification process, the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable du Québec (MTMD) issued a call for tenders in 2022 for the construction of the new Île-aux-Tourtes bridge pursuant to the project delivery method known as design-build-finance (DBF). Since this was a DBF, the financing of this project had to be included in the proposals made by the selected candidates. Lavery represented the successful consortium made up of Dragados Canada Inc., Roxboro Excavation Inc. and Construction Demathieu & Bard Inc. Our role required expertise in the following areas: (a)   Governance and corporate law  (b)  Project financing (banking and securities)  (c)   Public procurement (d)  Construction law (e)   Commercial agreements (f)    Taxation  Lavery represented the consortium from the call for proposals to the financial close, including the drafting phase leading up to the awarding of the contract to the consortium. The financing was the most complex part of this transaction. Under the hybrid approach retained for that project, a major credit facility to be granted by a bank syndicate had to be set up, as well the private placement of two tranches of bonds. This involved adjusting the rights and obligations of creditors on both sides within a sophisticated intercreditor agreement. The financing also required parent company guarantees, including from French and Spanish corporations, which required us to find common ground to accommodate the typical requirements of a North American financing and the specific corporate and commercial features applicable in France and Spain. To meet this challenge, we put together a multidisciplinary team, divided up the work in accordance with our professionals’ diverse expertises, and dedicated a team member exclusively to interactions with the MTMD, its lawyers and the issuers of performance bonds typical for this kind of projects. Sound project management practices were essential to the success of this team effort. It is a privilege for Lavery to have participated in this essential project allowing the people of Quebec to obtain a new bridge linking the regions of Montérégie and Montréal. The Lavery team was led by Josianne Beaudry, Nicolas Gagnon, Édith Jacques, David Tournier and André Vautour, and included Véronik Bonneville-Pesant, Katerina Kostopoulos, Jean-François Maurice, Joseph Gualdieri, Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil, Alexandre Turcotte, Luc Pariseau, Charles Hugo Gagné, Mickaël Pageau, Jean-Vincent Prévost-Bérubé and Yohann Lévy.

On March 29, 2022, ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd (IPA) announced that it acquired BioStrand BV, BioKey BV, and BioClue BV (together, “BioStrand”), a group of Belgian entities pioneers in the field of bioinformatics and biotechnology. With this €20 million acquisition, IPA will be able to leverage BioStrand’s revolutionary AI-powered methodology to accelerate the development of therapeutic antibody solutions. In addition to creating synergies with its subsidiaries, IPA expects to develop new markets with this revolutionary technology and strengthen its position as a world leader in biotherapeutics. Lavery was privileged to support IPA in this cross-border transaction by providing specialized expertise in cybersecurity, intellectual property, securities and mergers and acquisitions. The Lavery team was led by Selena Lu (transactional) and included Eric Lavallée (technology and intellectual property), Serge Shahinian (intellectual property), Sébastien Vézina (securities), Catherine Méthot (transactional), Jean-Paul Timothée (securities and transactional), Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil (transactional), Mylène Vallières (securities) and Marie-Claude Côté (securities). ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. is a biotherapeutic, innovation-powered company that supports its business partners in their quest to discover and develop novel antibodies against a broad range of target classes and diseases.

Lavery is pleased to announce that two recently sworn-in lawyers are joining Lavery following the completion of their articling within the firm. Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil Siddhartha is joining our Business Law group and practices mainly in transactional and commercial law. He obtained his law degree at McGill University with a major in Commercial Negotiation and Dispute Resolution. « I joined Lavery's team in 2019 and my team members have proven to be welcoming, competent and driven by a strong spirit of collaboration. I begin my business law practice with confidence, knowing that I am surrounded by polyvalent experts, all ready to support me in my development. Indeed, I am well equipped to pursue my professional growth! » Béatrice Bull Béatrice is joining our Business Law group and practices primarily in the area of transactional law, particularly in the area of venture capital. Béatrice obtained a dual degree in civil and common law at McGill University. « My team members have been the most determining element in my decision to join the firm. Being surrounded by passionate, determined and friendly professionals is also being in a stimulating work environment and this is definitely what motivates me to give my 100% in what I undertake! »