This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Benjamin David Gross gives a presentation at the Advanced Conference on Financing and Security Interests
Mr. Benjamin David Gross, a Business Law partner at Lavery, was a speaker/lecturer at the Advanced Conference on Financing and Security Interests that was held in Montreal on January 30-31, 2013. This event drew about 50 people and was very successful. Mr. Gross gave a presentation on “Naviguer les zones grises associées aux outils de financement des équipements (bail, crédit-bail et VAT)”, which was well attended.Many topics with regard to financing and security interests were discussed during the Conference, which was hosted by the Canadian Institute, including the laws and regulations that govern security interests, the revision of financing and security interest agreements, equipment financing, project financing issues, cross-border financings, and the tax-related aspects of financial agreements.For more information about the Conference (in French only), click here.
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Élodie Brunet, author of an article in Premières en affaires magazine
Ms. Élodie Brunet, lawyer at Lavery, wrote an article entitled “Un employeur peut-il interdire l’enregistrement par ses employés de conversations au moyen d’un téléphone cellulaire ?” (Can an employer forbid the recording of cell phone conversations by his employees?) in Premières en affaires magazine. Ms. Brunet’s article focuses on an employer’s managerial rights and his powers to forbid recordings for legitimate reasons in the context of labour relations, based on current case law.The article (in French only) is available by clicking here.
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Chantal Joubert, author of an article in the Revue Industrie & Commerce
Ms. Chantal Joubert, partner at Lavery, wrote an article entitled “Vérification diligente et baux commerciaux” (Due diligence and commercial leases), which was published in the December 2012 issue of the Revue Industrie & Commerce. Ms. Joubert seeks to demonstrate that the due diligence process for commercial leases should not only apply to the provisions set out in a lease document but also extend to the provisions that are not included in the document.To read this article (in french only), click here.
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A New Lavery Management Team
Lavery is pleased to announce the following changes to its management team. Following the appointment of André Vautour as Chairman of the Board of Directors in December 2012, Don McCarty became the firm’s new Managing Partner on January 1st, 2013. For Lavery, 2013 begins with new leaders who successfully combine decades of legal practice with long-standing management experience. An acknowledged expert in business law and in commercial and mass tort product liability litigation, Don previously practised law at Lavery from 1979 to 1997, before joining Imperial Tobacco Canada as Vice President, Law and General Counsel, a position he occupied from 1997 to 2012. Lavery and its clientele will benefit from his outstanding business law expertise, comprehensive knowledge of the legal services industry and senior corporate executive experience. André Vautour joined Lavery’s Business Law Group in October 2007. Prior to that, he practised law for almost 25 years at Desjardins Ducharme and he played a key role in the integration to Lavery of 34 lawyers from that firm. In addition to organizing and directing the work of the firm’s board of directors, as Chairman, André will team up with the new Managing Partner to help optimize and implement the firm’s vision and strategic direction."2013 marks Lavery’s 100th anniversary. I am delighted to rejoin my old firm, which has been servicing business in Quebec and Canada for so long. I want to thank our predecessors, Élise Poisson and Richard Dolan, for their contribution to the firm’s growth. Building on Lavery’s record of success as Quebec’s leading independent law firm, André and I will strive over the coming years to reinforce and expand Lavery’s value proposition", stated Don McCarty.
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Bernard Larocque and Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin review the 2012 insurance case law
Mr. Bernard Larocque, partner at Lavery, and Mr. Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin, associate at Lavery, gave a training session on the 2012 insurance case law, by focusing on landmark cases in this area of legal expertise.The event was a success. It was held at the Lavery Conference Centre on January 15-16, 2013 and drew more than 130 people.
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GeoMegA Completed a Brokered Private Placement
In November and December 2012, Geomega Resources Inc. completed a brokered private placement totaling 5,376,000 flow-through shares for aggregate gross proceeds of $2,688,000. The private placement was co-led by Industrial Alliance Securities Inc. and Marquest Asset Management Inc. acting as agents. Geomega Resources Inc. owns the Montviel Rare Earths/Niobium project which is located approximately 45 km west of the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi and 100 km north of Lebel-sur-Quévillon in the southern territory covered by the Québec’s “Plan Nord”. The net proceeds from the private placement will be used to fund the development of the Montviel property. Geomega Resources Inc. was represented by a team of Lavery, de Billy, L.L.P. comprised of Sébastien Vézina, Maxime Bergeron, Robert La Rosa (securities) and Eric Gélinas (tax).
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Lavery in Lexpert’s leading case for 2012
Lavery appears in Lexpert magazine’s case that leads the Top 10 Cases list for 2012: the decision rendered by the Supreme Court of Canada in the matter of a reference concerning the proposed Canadian Securities Act, which aimed at creating a single securities regulator in Canada. In its decision, the Supreme Court declared the proposed federal securities act unconstitutional. In this case, a Lavery partner, Raymond Doray, Ad. E., and a former partner of the firm, Mathieu Quenneville, represented the Barreau du Québec. For more information on this case, click here to consult pages 48 and 54 of Lexpert.
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Course aux stages: Lavery’s participation to "Career Days"
With regard to the course aux stages, Lavery will take part in the "Career Days" of the following universities: January 9: Université de Sherbrooke January 14: UQÀM January 16: McGill University January 17: Université de Montréal January 22: University of Ottawa January 24: Université LavalThese meetings are an excellent opportunity to inform students about the firm’s areas of practice and the main steps of our recruitment process.Our professionals will gladly respond to any questions regarding articling positions at Lavery and discuss career opportunities with the students.You want to know more about Lavery’s articling program? Consult the column Students.
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René Branchaud, a leading lawyer in the 2013 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada
Mr. René Branchaud, partner at Lavery, has been recognized as a leading lawyer in mining law in the 2013 edition of the Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada. He sits on the board of directors and is corporate secretary of several publicly listed mining companies. He is also listed in The Canadian Legal LEXPERT® Directory 2012 in the field of Mining and the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada directory recognizes Mr. Branchaud as one of the best lawyers in Natural Resources Law.
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Jean Saint-Onge recognized as a leading US-Canada cross-border lawyer
Mr. Jean Saint-Onge, Ad. E., partner at Lavery, was named a leading cross-border lawyer in the area of class actions in the 2012 edition of the directory Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-border Litigation Lawyers in Canada. Mr. Saint-Onge has been involved in numerous precedent-setting cases and has represented major corporations in multijurisdictional and cross border class actions, more particularly in the areas of competition law and consumer law. He is listed among the leading practitioners in the fields of Class Actions-Litigation, Commercial Insurance-Litigation and Product Liability in The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2012. He has also been named Lawyer of the Year for 2013 by The Best Lawyers in Canada in the field of Class Action Litigation in Montreal.
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Lavery recognized by Lexpert magazine in one of the Top 10 Corporate Deals of 2012
Lavery was recognized as a significant player in one of the Top 10 Canadian Corporate Deals, being the acquisition of Canmarc Real Estate Investment Trust by Cominar Real Estate Investment Trust in an amount of $838.2 million, as reported in the January 2013 issue of Lexpert magazine. In this transaction, a team of Lavery composed of Marc Rochefort, Michel Servant, Guillaume Lavoie and Geneviève Fournier (corporate and securities), and Philip Nolan (tax) represented the syndicate of underwriters led by National Bank Financial Inc. and BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. in connection with equity financings of Cominar totalling nearly $350 million. For more information on the transaction, click here to consult pages 40 and 42 of Lexpert.
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Jean Martel, member of the Investment Industry Association of Canada Hall of Fame Selection Committee
Mr. Jean Martel, Ad. E., partner at Lavery’s Montreal office, was appointed by the Investment Industry Association of Canada (IIAC) to sit on its Hall of Fame Selection Committee. The committee’s mandate will namely consist of selecting individuals who have played a key role in the development of the Canadian securities sector. Jean Martel is a member of several boards of directors, including TMX Group Inc. and the Business Development Bank of Canada. From 1995 to 1999, he acted as Chairman and CEO of the Quebec Securities Commission which became the Autorité des marchés financiers in 2004.In addition to Jean Martel, the IIAC Hall of Fame Selection Committee brings together influential Canadians: Gary Filmon, Consultant, The Exchange Group, and former Premier of Manitoba, Winnipeg Margaret Franklin, President and CEO, Kinsale Private Wealth Inc., Toronto J. Colin Dodds, President, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax Lois Mitchell, Senior Partner, Rainmaker Global Business Development, Calgary Chris Collingwood, President and CEO, Baine Johnston Corp., St. John’s James C. Baillie, Senior Counsel, Torys, Toronto