This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Lavery represents Sodémex Développement s.e.c. in the acquisition of a 15% interest in a mining royalties portfolio held by Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd.
On February 17, 2016, Sodémex Développement s.e.c. entered into an agreement with the mining company Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. (“Osisko”) to acquire a 15% interest in a portfolio of mining royalties including rights on Richmont Mines Inc.’s producing Island Gold Mine, Niogold Mining Corporation’s Marban and Noraltic sites and the Integra Gold Inc.’s Lamaque project. The value of the portfolio acquired by Osisko from Teck Resources Limited was more than $20 million. Sodémex Développement s.e.c. was represented by a Lavery team composed of Sébastien Vézina, Tereza Kristic, Louis-Martin Dubé, Nicole Messier, Carole Gélinas and John McFarlane Sodémex Développement s.e.c. is an investment fund whose only shareholder is the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and whose mandate is to invest in companies in the natural resources sector that are in the development stage.
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Jonathan Warin chairs a CBA-Quebec conference on insolvency in Quebec
On February 18, 2016, Jonathan Warin, a partner at Lavery, a member of the Commercial Litigation group and the President of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency section of the Canadian Bar Association’s – Quebec Branch, chaired a CBA-Quebec luncheon conference entitled “Supreme Court’s decision in the Lemare Lake Logging Ltd. case: anticipated effects on insolvency practice in Quebec” (“Décision de la Cour suprême dans l'affaire Lemare Lake Logging Ltd. : effets à anticiper sur la pratique de l'insolvabilité au Québec”) was held at the Intercontinental Hotel. The conference was targeted to insolvency practitioners, lender representatives, borrowers and bankruptcy trustees. For more information, please click here.
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Pierre Marc Johnson to speak as a witness before the Senate’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade committee
Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, head CETA negotiator for Quebec, former premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery recognized for his expertise in international trade and cross-border partnerships, will be a witness, as an individual, within the scope of the Foreign Affairs and International Trade committee’s general study of bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements and their prospects for Canada. His presentation will be held on February 18, 2016 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Room 160-S, Centre Block, of the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa. To tune in to the webcast, please click here.
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Jean-Philippe Turgeon and Stéphanie Destrempes will speak at the Franchise Expo event in Quebec City
On February 27, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. at the Centre des congrès de Québec, Jean-Philippe Turgeon, a partner and the leader of the firm’s Franchising and Distribution Group, will present a seminar entitled “Create your own franchise system” during the Franchise Expo event that is set to take place February 27-28. Mr. Turgeon will discuss several issues, such as what business concepts can be franchised, the viable operational systems to choose when aiming for sustainable and profitable development of a franchise network, and the best practices to get the most out of the franchise business model and increase the value of your franchise system. For more information or to register for Mr. Turgeon’s seminar, please click here. For her part, Stéphanie Destrempes, a lawyer and also a member of the firm’s Franchising and distribution group will give a conference entitled « Becoming a franchiser » (“Devenir franchisé”) on February 28, 2016 during the show. For more information about the Franchise Expo, please click here.
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Eugene Czolij to receive Honorary Doctorate from Lviv Polytechnic National University
Lavery is proud to announce that Eugene Czolij, a partner at the firm, will shortly receive an honorary doctorate from Lviv Polytechnic National University in Ukraine for his outstanding work as Ukrainian World Congress President. This title has been conferred on him to highlight his commitment and determination in promoting Ukraine’s interests and its Euro-integration. Eugene Czolij is a senior litigator whose legal practice includes corporate and commercial litigation, as well as insolvency and restructuring law. In these fields of expertise, his peers have recognized him in the publication Best Lawyers in Canada. “We closely follow the extra-professional achievements of our members and are exceedingly proud to highlight their commitments and accomplishments. Throughout his career, Mr. Czolij has set himself apart by his passionate and determined mindset, which has benefitted not only his legal clients but also his fellow Ukrainians living in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world. The great honour Lviv Polytechnic National University will confer on him is a recognition of his unstinting commitment to the Ukrainian World Congress, an honour for which Lavery congratulates him heartily,” says Don McCarty, Lavery’s Managing Partner. The Ukrainian World Congress is the international coordinating body for Ukrainian communities in the diaspora representing the interests of over 20 million Ukrainians. The Ukrainian World Congress has member organizations in 34 countries and ties with Ukrainians in 15 additional countries. Founded in 1967, the Ukrainian World Congress was recognized in 2003 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a non-governmental organization with special consultative status. For more information, please visit http://www.lp.edu.ua/en/node/9264.
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Pierre Marc Johnson to host a luncheon conference on CETA during MTL à Paris week
On March 8, 2016 at the Chambre de Commerce et de l’Industrie de la region Paris Ile-de-France, Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, a former Premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery recognized for his expertise in international trade, negotiations and cross-border partnerships, will host a luncheon conference on the Canada-EU trade agreement (CETA). The conference, which will take place during the MTL à Paris week, will be followed by an afternoon networking session using a creative and dynamic networking platform which will facilitate meetings between French and Montreal businesses. The second edition of the MTL à Paris week, a Tourism Montreal and Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal (BTMM) initiative, is presented by Air Canada and will be held March 6-10, 2016. For more information about this day’s events, please click here.
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Bernard Larocque and Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin present an insurance law jurisprudence year in review for 2015
Bernard Larocque, and Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin, both members of the litigation group at Lavery,presented a comprehensive year in review of insurance law jurisprudence for 2015 at four separate events in early February 2016, more specifically on February 3 and 5 at the Lavery Conference Center, on February 4 at the Canadian Bar Association, Quebec Branch, Jean Bélanger Conference and on February 10 before members of the Canadian Insurance Claims Managers Association. The presentations elicited a great deal of interest from the over 200 participants who had the opportunity to attend any one of these events.
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Nicolas Gagnon chairs CBA-Quebec’s Jean Savard Conference: 2015 Annual Jurisprudence Review of Construction Law
On February 24, 2016, Mr. Nicolas Gagnon, a partner at Lavery specializing in construction and surety law, will chair a CBA-Quebec luncheon conference entitled “Jean Savard Conference: 2015 Annual Jurisprudence Review of Construction Law” (“Conférence Jean Savard : Revue de la jurisprudence 2015 en droit de la construction”) to be held at the Intercontinental Hotel. The conference will cover the current state of jurisprudence in construction law and 2015’s landmark decisions. The conference is sold out but for more information on this topic, please click here (French-only link).
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Pierre Marc Johnson talks about CETA at a Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf Alumni Association event
On February 11, 2016 at Club Saint-James, Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, a former Premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery recognized for his expertise in international trade and cross-border partnerships, was the guest speaker at a breakfast conference hosted by the Alumni Association of Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf. One hundred and twenty-five of the Collège’s alumni and students were on hand to listen to Mr. Johnson’s talk, which was entitled “The ins and outs of the Canada-EU Agreement” (“Les tenants et aboutissants de l’Accord Canada-Union européenne”). After the conference, Me Johnson fielded questions from the audience during a question period. For more information about Brébeuf’s Alumni Association events, please click here.
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Pierre Denis and Benjamin David Gross will be panelists at the Canadian Institute’s inaugural conference on asset-based lending (ABL)
On February 24 and 25, 2016, at the Toronto Hilton Hotel, Pierre Denis and Benjamin David Gross, both of whom are partners and members of the firm’s financial services group, will be panelists at the Canadian Institute’s inaugural ABL conference. At 11 a.m. on February 24, Mr. Benjamin Gross will give a presentation entitled “Lending into Quebec: The Bridge Between Common and Civil Law”, while on February 25 at 9 a.m., Mr. Pierre Denis will participate as a panelist for a session entitled “Equipment Leasing as a Bank Alternative: Case Studies. The conference aims at presenting cutting-edge solutions to educating delegates about asset-based lending, thereby dispelling the stigma associated with ABL in Canada, a stigma that has given rise to the misconception that ABL is a “product of last resort” meant primarily for distressed businesses. For more information or to register, please click here.
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Lavery’s Quebec City office makes a donation to the Fondation du Cégep Garneau and partners with the École d’entrepreneuriat de Québec
Lavery’s Quebec City office made a donation in the amount of $5,000 to the Fondation du Cégep Garneau in order to lend support to the École d’entrepreneuriat de Québec’s scholarship program and next generation entrepreneurs. A partnership with the École d’entrepreneuriat will allow three cohorts of entrepreneurs to benefit from a broad range of services, including those of Lavery’s Go inc. Program. Lavery’s Go inc. Program offers basic legal services for emerging young businesses, as well as guidance and support to young entrepreneurs.
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Pierre Marc Johnson on a CETA mission to Brussels and Luxembourg
From January 22 to 27, 2016, Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, a former Premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery recognized for his expertise in international trade and cross-border partnerships, was on a mission with Mr. Jacques Daoust, then Minister of Economy, Innovation and Exports , and Ms. Christine St-Pierre, Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, as part of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) negotiation process. Mr. Johnson, Québec’s head CETA negotiator, met with the Luxembourg President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mars Di Bartolomeo and testified at the Meeting of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee. There are some qualms in the EU about the Investors-States dispute settlement system that could delay ratification of the Agreement. Me Johnson has stated that while Canada was keeping an open mind about the EU’s concerns regarding the arbitration system, the “agreement’s worst enemy was time.”