This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Pierre Marc Johnson, of Lavery, keynote speaker at the 39th Conference of the Association des économistes québécois
On May 14, Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, GOQ, FRSC, former premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery, was the keynote speaker at the 39th Conference of the Association des économistes québécois in Ottawa. The event attracted more than 250 renowned Quebec and international economists and specialists.In his speech, Mr. Johnson discussed the implications for Quebec of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). First outlining the development of trade between Quebec and its major export markets over the past twenty years, he then explained the scope, benefits, and implementation mechanisms of a comprehensive agreement with the European Union.
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Lavery welcomes three new associates
Lavery is pleased to announce that three associates have recently joined the firm. The new lawyers will be members of two of Lavery’s practice groups. Ms. Alexandra Dubé-Lorrain (2014) and Mr. Jérôme Bélanger (2014) will practise in the Litigation Group in our Montreal office. Mr. Simon Bisson (2014) has joined the Business Law Group in Montreal.The year of call to the Quebec Bar appears in parentheses."The addition of these lawyers not only shows Lavery’s willingness to attract young talent who will reinforce our practice groups but it also demonstrates that the firm is committed to hiring young lawyers who were previously articling students with the firm", said Don McCarty, Managing Partner of the firm.
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Law and mental health seminar on the use of drugs and alcohol in the workplace: a question of responsibility
On May 13, Mr. Carl Lessard, labour law partner at Lavery, and Mr. Luc Chabot CHRP of Relais Expert-Conseil, were the speakers at a seminar that attracted some sixty human resource professionals to the Lavery Conference Centre.The subjects addressed related to the responsibility of employers regarding the consumption of drugs and alcohol in the workplace – more specifically, the regulatory environment, corporate policies, alcohol and drug testing, and the administration of disciplinary and non-disciplinary measures.
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Bernard Roy, of Lavery, guest speaker at the Association de planification fiscale et financière (APFF)
Mr. Bernard Roy, partner in the Québec office, spoke during an activity organized by the APFF on May 14. During his talk, Mr Roy reviewed the case law on actions for annulment and the rectification of transactions in Quebec. He also discussed in detail the decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada in Agence du Revenu du Québec v. Riopel et als. and Agence du Revenu du Québec v. Services environnementaux AES Inc.
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Claude Villeneuve of Lavery appointed president of the Bar of Saint-François
Lavery is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Claude Villeneuve, partner in its Sherbrooke office, as president of the Bar of Saint-François. Founded in 1853, the Bar of Saint-François is one of the 15 regional bars representing the regions of Quebec and has approximately 450 members. This appointment highlights Mr. Villeneuve’s active involvement in the legal community. In addition to teaching law, Mr. Villeneuve is also a member of the General Council of the Barreau du Québec.
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Lavery collaborates with the Centre d’accès à l’information juridique
Lavery will collaborate with the Centre d’accès à l’information juridique (CAIJ), an organization associated with the Barreau du Québec, to make its publications available, free of charge, On the CAIJ Web site. Beginning in June, members of the Bar and the Judiciary will be able to access the publications of the seven participating law firms.This CAIJ initiative meets a need often expressed by lawyers to have greater on-line access to doctrine. The law firms’ publications, available in digital format, will incorporate links to Canadian legislation and case law. The publications will be easily accessible from the Web site’s home page as well as via the JuriBistroTM UNIK search engine and the eDOCTRINE tool.
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Katia Opalka of Lavery, contributor to the Canadian Bar Association blog NATIONAL
Ms. Katia Opalka, an Environmental and Aboriginal Law partner at Lavery, is a regular contributor to the Canadian Bar Association blog NATIONAL Legal Insights & Practice Trends. This blog includes articles on various issues of interest to the legal community. Moreover, Ms. Opalka is the sole contributor on environmental issues for this blog. She also writes articles about natural resources and energy matters. To consult Ms. Opalka’s articles, click here.
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Guillaume Synnott joins Lavery as an associate
Lavery is pleased to announce that Mr. Guillaume Synnott has joined the firm as an associate on April 28, 2014.Called to the Quebec Bar in 2012, Mr. Synnott will practise in our Business Law Group, particularly in the areas of securities, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate law. He will regularly be called upon to perform due diligence reports, draft and negotiate commercial agreements as well as advise clients of the firm on corporate law matters.Mr. Synnott holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the Université de Montréal and a Certificate in Chinese Law from the China University of Political Science and Law.
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Pierre Marc Johnson of Lavery, guest speaker at the dinner-meeting of the Lord Reading Law Society
Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, G.O.Q., FRSC, counsel at Lavery, acted as guest speaker at the dinner-meeting of the Lord Reading Law Society that was held on April 29, 2014. He was introduced before an audience of more than 100 people by Carl M. Ravinsky, a Business Law partner at Lavery. Entitled “Canada-EU: The CETA – A Long-awaited and Promising Agreement”, Mr. Johnson’s conference focused on the main issues raised by the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union. Mr. Johnson is the chief negotiator of CETA for the Government of Quebec.
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Diana Darilus and Jean-Philippe Latreille of Lavery, speakers at a Canadian Tax Foundation event
Ms. Diana Darilus and Jean-Philippe Latreille of Lavery, speakers at a Canadian Tax Foundation event Ms. Diana Darilus and Mr. Jean-Philippe Latreille, Business Law associates at Lavery, acted as speakers during the Conference Luncheon for young tax professionals organized by the Canadian Tax Foundation on May 2, 2014.The conference of Ms. Darilus and Mr. Latreille was held under the theme “Détention d’immeubles par l’intermédiaire de sociétés prête-noms : enjeux et développements récents en matière de taxes à la consommation”. Both speakers discussed various issues such as the recurring problems pertaining to real estate transactions involving nominee corporations, the general rules with respect to consumption taxes as well as the temporary and conditional administrative tolerance applicable to nominee corporations that were announced by tax authorities in February 2014.
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Magali Cournoyer-Proulx of Lavery, co-speaker at the Seminar on recent developments in ethics, professional law and disciplinary law
Ms. Magali Cournoyer-Proulx, a Labour Law partner and member of the Health Law team at Lavery, acted as co-speaker during the 17th edition of the Seminar on recent developments in ethics, professional law and disciplinary law that took place at the Palais des congrès de Montréal on May 2, 2014.Ms. Cournoyer-Proulx’s conference, which was held under the theme “The Top 10 of the Tribunal des professions for 2013-2014”, focused on the leading decisions rendered in the past year by the Tribunal des professions and appellate courts with respect to ethics, professional law and disciplinary law.
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Lavery supports the private equity and venture capital industry
Dedicated to helping investment fund managers, investment advisors as well as all other industry stakeholders and relying on our in-depth expertise, Lavery is proud to announce the creation of a team practising in the areas of private equity, venture capital and investment management. This new team gives the firm the opportunity to widen the scope of the legal services provided to industry stakeholders and their various partners who are active in a vast array of sectors, including advanced technology, infrastructure and renewable energy. The Private Equity, Venture Capital and Investment Management team is comprised of the following lawyers: André Vautour Jean Martel, Ad. E. Luc Pariseau Édith Jacques Jean-Sébastien Desroches Josianne Beaudry Guillaume Lavoie Philippe Décary Francis Desmarais Robert La Rosa Simon Bisson The legal services provided by this team include the establishment and development of tax structures for investment funds, capital raising initiatives, the drafting of private placement offering memorandums or prospectuses, corporate governance advice, information disclosure and regulatory compliance, the implementation of various exit strategies, the creation and completion of bank financing transactions as well as the preparation and implementation of infrastructure projects and public-private partnerships. Lavery’s enviable expertise in this field enables the firm to support a wide range of players in the private equity, venture capital and investment management industry such as promoters, investors, fund managers, securities brokers, businesses and their various partners. "For more than 100 years, Lavery has been supporting companies doing business in Quebec. Our new practice team reflects our century-old commitment and the firm’s Law/Business positioning whose objective is to promote growth by strengthening the range of our services to business clients", said Don McCarty, Managing Partner of the firm. For more information, consult our Private Equity, Venture Capital and Investment Management Web page.