News

In a landmark decision, the Court confirms the scope of the surety bond indemnity agreement that our firm helped to draft in Gestion ITR inc. v. Intact Compagnie d'assurance.. Lavery’s reputation in construction bonding is well established. The firm has been a leader in this field for decades. Under the direction of our partner Nicolas Gagnon, Lavery supports the industry in contentious matters, while providing guidance on major policies. Over 30 years ago, our firm was in charge of drafting the content of an indemnity agreement between a construction company and a major surety company. That agreement is still widely used in the industry today. The Court of Appeal of Québec recognized the scope of the agreement in a recent decision, confirming that the obligations of the signatories to the agreement included, in particular, the reimbursement of losses incurred by the surety, not only under surety bonds it had issued, but also under agreements entered into between the principal surety and another surety that had agreed to act as the construction company’s guarantor. This essentially means that the signatories to an indemnity agreement must reimburse the losses incurred by a surety that was obtained by the principal surety. Our partner Nicolas Gagnon commented on this as follows: “So much effort went into drafting this indemnity agreement, given its significance for the industry. We’re obviously thrilled to see that Quebec’s highest Court agrees with our logic, and that it confirmed that the scope of the agreement we helped to draft applies to the situations we had identified.” We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our industry colleagues’ skillful work in defending the indemnity agreement.

Lavery is pleased to announce that seven of its lawyers have been recognized as leaders by Benchmark Litigation Canada 2024. This directory ranks the leading litigators involved in Canada's landmark litigation cases who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession by providing outstanding service to clients. The following lawyers received the Litigation Star distinction in the 2024 edition of the directory: Myriam Brixi Raymond Doray Nicolas Gagnon Marc-André Landry Martin Pichette The following lawyers received the Future Star distinction in the 2024 edition of the directory: Laurence Bich-Carrière Céleste Brouillard-Ross These recognitions are further demonstration of the expertise and quality of legal services that characterize Lavery's professionals. About Lavery Lavery is the leading independent law firm in Quebec. Its more than 200 professionals, based in Montréal, Quebec, 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.

The protection of intellectual property plays an essential role in driving innovation and economic progress, including for innovations having a positive impact on the environment. Indeed, intellectual property provides innovators with the legal protection they need to develop and market their innovations, thus y fostering economic and social growth. Protecting green innovations By protecting environmentally-focused innovations through intellectual property, we create an environment conducive to the emergence and development of sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. These green innovations aim to reduce the harmful effects of human activity on the planet and its inhabitants. Innovation at the core of our ecosystem With intellectual property protection, innovators can reap the benefits of their hard work by gaining a competitive edge, which in turn encourages investment in research and development. This protection also fosters the development of an innovation culture within organizations and drives economic progress. In short, protecting intellectual property is an incentive to build a better future! For more information on this yearly celebration, go to: https://www.wipo.int/web/ipday/2024-sdgs/index

On April 17, 2024, Lexpert recognized the expertise of four of our partners in its 2024 Lexpert Special Edition: Finance and M&A. Josianne Beaudry, Étienne Brassard, Jean-Sébastien Desroches and Édith Jacques now rank among Canada's leaders in the financial sector and in M&A. Josianne Beaudry’s practice is primarily focused on securities law, investment funds and mining law. She also advises financial sector participants on the application of regulations relating to securities and corporate governance. Josianne assists clients carrying out public and private financings, corporate reorganizations, as well as mergers and acquisitions. She also helps publicly traded companies maintain their reporting issuer status. Étienne Brassard practices business law, more specifically corporate financing, mergers and acquisitions and corporate law. In his practice, he advises local and international businesses in relation to all forms of private financing, from traditional or convertible debt to equity investments. He has thus developed extensive expertise in setting up complex financing structures, in both operational and transactional contexts. Jean-Sébastien Desroches practices business law and focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure, renewable energy and project development as well as strategic partnerships. He has had the opportunity to steer several major transactions, complex legal operations, cross-border transactions, reorganizations, and investments. Édith Jacques is a partner in Montréal's Business law group. She specializes in mergers and acquisitions, commercial law, as well as international law and acts as business and strategic consultant to mid- and large-size companies.

Lavery is delighted to welcome Kathryn Cahill and Christian Chidiac to its Business Law group. Kathryn CahillKathryn is a member of our Business Law group and practices primarily in areas related to financing.She has distinguished herself in a number of ways throughout her university studies. Kathryn is a two-time recipient of the University of Ottawa Merit Scholarship for academic excellence. In March 2022, she had the opportunity to take part in the 49th Gale Cup Moot competition. "I decided to start my career as a lawyer at Lavery mainly because of the value the firm places on mutual support and collaboration, as well as its focus on supporting young lawyers in their professional development." Christian ChidiacChristian Chidiac is a lawyer in the Business Law group of the Montréal office and practices primarily in commercial and transactional law. Before joining Lavery, Christian worked as a Foreign Service Officer at Global Affairs Canada, the department of the Government of Canada that to manages Canada's diplomatic and consular relations. In this position, he worked in the division dealing with bilateral relations between Canada and Western Europe. Christian also worked as a legal counsel for an international manufacturing company. Through these work experiences, he developed a perspective focused on clients' specific issues and needs, as well as a sensitivity to international issues. "It was the aspiration to return to the practice of law that motivated me to return to a private practice, and it was the quality of the cases and professionals, the work environment and the relationships with my colleagues that convinced me to make a return to Lavery."

We were very pleased to learn of the announcement of the Minister of Justice confirming the appointment of Bernard Larocque as a Judge of the Superior Court of Québec for the district of Montréal. The Superior Court of Québec is an ordinary court of law in Quebec hearing all disputes that a formal provision of law has not assigned to the jurisdiction of another court. The Superior Court plays a key role in Quebec's justice system. Bernard Larocque joined the firm in 1998 as a member of the litigation group and became a partner in 2003. His practice focused mainly on civil litigation, including defamation, insurance law, class actions, professional liability and administrative disputes. He has frequently appeared before the courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada and the Court of Appeal of Quebec.?His excellence and reputation as a litigator earned him the title of Fellow by the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers in March 2020. Bernard has also always been active in the community and has been deeply involved with the Justice Pro Bono Board of Directors for over twenty years, which he has chaired since 2020. "Bernard will be serving on the bench with several of his former colleagues and friends from the firm. He embodies Lavery's values, driven by excellence, diligence, a deep sense of duty and a desire to give back to society. These are all qualities that will carry him through this next important chapter in his legal career," concludes Anik Trudel, CEO at Lavery.