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 Lexis Média during the acquisition of 12 regional newspapers from Transcontinental
A Lavery team advised the Groupe Lexis Media in connection with the acquisition of 12 regional newspapers from Transcontinental. The Groupe Lexis Media, which already publishes Homme, Mieux-Être, Moi Parent and Maternité, now owns the following newspapers: Le Citoyen Rouyn-Noranda, Le Citoyen de la Vallée-de-l'Or, L'Écho Abitibien and La Frontière, distributed in Abitibi Témiscamingue; L’Action d'Autray, L’Action - édition de mercredi, L’Action - édition du week-end, L’Express Montcalm and Hebdo Rive-Nord, in Lanaudière; and Le Bulletin, La Petite-Nation and La Revue, in Outaouais. The Lavery team was led by Eric Lavallée and included Laurent Bellemare-Proulx, Mylène Boisvert and Justin Gravel.
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Éric Gélinas and Audrey Gibeault speak at the Colloque en droit des sociétés
On November 23, Éric Gélinas and Audrey Gibeault, respectively a partner and an associate of the Business Law group, spoke during the Colloque en droit des sociétés held in the Conference Centre at the Intercontinental Hotel. Over 60 people attended and listened to a presentation on tax pitfalls to avoid entitled “Pièges à éviter en matière fiscale pour un avocat en droit des affaires”.
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Chloé Fauchon and Sylvain Pierrard deliver a seminar on copyright
On November 21, Chloé Fauchon, an associate of the Public and Administrative Law group, and Sylvain Pierrard, an associate of the Business Law group, delivered a seminar on copyright to professionals working in the film and television industry. Organized by the Table de concertation de l’industrie du cinéma et de la télévision de la Capitale-Nationale, the seminar was held at Le Camp in Québec City. Ms. Fauchon and Mr. Pierrard introduced participants to the different intellectual property rights, the exceptions to copyright protection of a work, copyright ownership, copyright assignment and the moral rights in the works.
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Lavery’s expertise in energy and corporate law recognized by Legal 500 Canada
Lavery is pleased to announce that its expertise has been recognized in the most recent edition of Legal 500 Canada in the practice areas of corporate/mergers and acquisitions and energy: power. We are extremely proud of this accomplishment considering that Lavery is competing against every national firm in Canada. The fact that we are listed in these Legal 500 Canada categories clearly demonstrates the complexity and importance of the mandates handled by our lawyers.
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Pierre Marc Johnson appointed Chair of the MCFR Board of Directors
Pierre Marc Johnson, counsel and chief negotiator for the Government of Québec for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations (MCFR) during the organization’s 33rd annual general meeting held on December 13. In a press release announcing the appointment, MCFR President and CEO Pierre Lemonde commented that Me Johnson is well-suited to handle this new challenge because of “his experience and knowledge of the business community, international organizations, local and international governments and his extensive network of contacts throughout the world”. Me Johnson acts as special advisor to the Government of Québec on trade agreements, is a member of the Government of Canada’s NAFTA Advisory Council on the Environment and, since 2009, has acted as chief negotiator for Québec in the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement negotiations (CETA). “As with the Médaille du Barreau and the Paul-André-Crépeau Medal, two prestigious awards received by Me Johnson earlier this year, this appointment recognizes his expertise and important contribution to the areas of law and international trade, negotiations and international partnerships,” stated Anik Trudel, Lavery’s Chief Executive Officer. The MCFR’s mission is to promote greater knowledge of international affairs and, through its events and partnerships, to encourage closer cooperation between the various entities that share an interest in international matters.
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Lavery hosts the Annual General Meeting of the Hellenic Jurists Association of Québec.
Lavery hosted the 2017 Annual General Meeting of the Hellenic Jurists Association of Québec at its Montréal office on November 14. Me. Brian R. Mitchell, Bâtonnier of Montréal, delivered the keynote speech and the Honourable Dionysia Zerbisias was inducted as the first honorary member of the HJAQ. This event was made possible thanks to Despina Mandilaras, an associate of the Litigation and Conflict Resolution group.
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Lavery applauds the appointment of the Hon. Richard Wagner as Chief Justice of Canada
We are enormously proud to learn of the appointment today of our former partner, the Hon. Richard Wagner, to the position of Chief Justice at the highest court in Canada. Justice Wagner practised at Lavery from 1980 to 2004 before being appointed to the bench, first of the Superior Court of Quebec and then of the Court of Appeal of Quebec and the Supreme Court of Canada. We at Lavery knew Richard as a hard worker, a conscientious lawyer and a man with a passion for his profession, dedicated to giving the best of himself. He made his name as an accomplished litigator in the fields of commercial litigation, professional liability and construction law. A number of our lawyers were fortunate to have the benefit of his talents as a mentor and trainer, and it is thanks to his generosity that they have successful practices today, both with the firm and in the private sector. “For Lavery, the appointment of Justice Richard Wagner to the head of the Supreme Court of Canada is an honour that reflects on the entire firm. It speaks to a long tradition of litigation practitioners whose intellectual rigour and top-flight professional skills are at the heart of the services offered by Lavery,” said Anik Trudel, Lavery’s Chief Executive Officer. Lavery now has 29 alumni and alumnae who sit as judges on both provincial and federal courts.
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Amélie Journet joins Lavery as Chief of Human Resources and Organizational Transformation
Lavery is pleased to announce that Ms. Amélie Journet has been appointed to the newly created position of Chief of Human Resources and Organizational Transformation. Ms. Journet will be responsible for spearheading the development and implementation of the Talent strategy throughout the firm. As a member of management, she will also play a key role in transforming Lavery’s business model. Ms. Journet has over fifteen years’ experience in change management and human resources in companies active in the entertainment, creativity, commerce and technology industries. She will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Anik Trudel and will sit on the firm’s management committee. Lavery is counting on the acquisition and mobilization of highly qualified creative talent in order to implement the actions needed to achieve its business vision, which is to be recognized for transforming legal services in Quebec. “Throughout my career, I have worked in industries in transformation and I witnessed the extent to which the link between business objectives and human behaviour is based on successful change management,” remarked Amélie Journet.” “Lavery has all the elements needed to position itself as an employer of choice and an actor in transforming the delivery of legal services in Quebec. Joining the firm gives me a unique opportunity to play a key role in implementing a daring vision underpinned by talent and the next generation as a privileged vector for transformation.” Lavery plans to adapt to the generational transition and feminization of the legal industry by overcoming the challenges related to retaining its professionals. Women make up 64% of firm members and 86% of salaried lawyers at Lavery are millenials, a generation with clear expectations and different needs when it comes to work. The firm therefore wants to revise its vision of human resources by drawing on proven practices from industries outside the law in order to introduce an innovative approach within the legal community. “Ms. Journet will oversee the implementation of best practices for talent, mobilization and leadership for all employees, regardless of status, and will work closely with the different firm teams and committees to implement an approach to managing talent that is both engaging and transformative,” commented Anik Trudel. “Due to her extensive expertise in change management, Ms. Journet will be extremely instrumental in integrating our vision into our operations. Her arrival marks an increase in the steps taken by Lavery’s management to transform the legal industry by doing things differently.”
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Stéphanie Destrempes speaks at the Strategic Days on Financial Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy On November 21, Stéphanie Destrempes, an associate of the Franchising and Distribution group, presented a seminar entitled Gérer l’insolvabilité/la fa
On November 21, Stéphanie Destrempes, an associate of the Franchising and Distribution group, presented a seminar entitled Gérer l’insolvabilité/la faillite d’un débiteur-franchisé as part of the Strategic Days on Financial Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy presented by OpenForumOuvert and attended by over thirty participants.
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Lavery hires five of its articling students
Lavery is pleased to announce that it has hired five of its articling students as associates. Daphnée Anctil and Charles Ceelen-Brasseur have joined the Business Law group with the Montréal office; Chantal Saint-Onge and Yaoqi Wang have joined the Litigation and Conflict Resolution group with the Montréal office; Andrée-Anne Perras-Fortin has joined the Business Law group with the Sherbrooke office and will also practise with the Lavery Legal Lab on Artificial Intelligence (L3AI); “We are very proud to welcome talent like Daphnée, Charles, Chantal, Yaoqi and Andrée-Anne into the Lavery family. They have distinguished themselves by their quality of work, dedication and ongoing pursuit of excellence,” commented Loïc Berdnikoff, Director of Professional Development.
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Charles Olivier Thibeault meets with the Regroupement des médecins examinateurs du Québec
Charles Olivier Thibeault, a partner of the Health Law group, participated in a meeting held by the Regroupement des médecins examineurs du Québec at the CHUM on November 16. During the meeting, Mr. Thibeault discussed with medical examiners, responsible for reviewing complaints concerning hospital physicians, a number of problems often encountered when complaints are handled. Mr. Thibeault also suggested several solutions to address these problems as well as other issues raised by the medical examiners.
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Lavery’s Sherbrooke office participates in the 2017 edition of Défi à l’Entreprise
On November 18, a Lavery team from the Sherbrooke office participated for the third consecutive year in the Défi à l’Entreprise, organized by Les Volontaires of the Cégep de Sherbrooke. The theme this year was the Défis d’Astérix. The Défi à l’Entreprise is a sporting event that brings together 50 of the most dynamic teams in Estrie. Teams are composed of 10 competitors for a total of 500 participants, selected from among the different companies participating. Over 100 volunteers work to make the event a success, supported by a number of brand sponsors. Participating companies come from throughout the greater Estrie region. The event raises funds for the Les Volontaires college sports teams so that they can compete in major sports tournaments in Quebec and Canada, and also promotes health and quality of life for workers through physical activity. Front row : Kay-Sandra Boyer, Mylène Boisvert, Marie-Claude Lacaille et Marika Couture-Houle Back row : Miriane Paquin, Annie Pouliot, Jean-François Bilodeau, Dzenan Zulji, Letta Wellinger, Katy Pelletier