This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Special Dinner for CFOs raises $225,000 for young victims of child abuse
Nearly 40 CFOs from the Quebec business community and over 100 professionals participated in the third fundraising dinner organized by the Marie-Vincent Foundation on May 19. The event was part of the 2011 fundraising campaign presided by Mr. Claude Mongeau, President and Chief Executive Officer of the CN. Lavery was among the sponsors of the event. Mr. Jean Saint-Onge, one of the firm’s Partners, is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Marie-Vincent Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting Québec children under 12 who are victims of child abuse, more specifically of sexual abuse. The funds donated will help finance prevention, education and support programs for young victims and their families. From left to right | Denis Pétrin, Transat AT, Jocelyn Lauzière, Agropur, Denis Mathieu, Uni-Select, Jean Saint-Onge, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Marie-Vincent Foundation, Pierre Despars, Gaz Metro, Sylvain Gascon, Desjardins Marché des capitaux, Luc Jobin, CN, Lucie Joyal, Executive Director Marie-Vincent Foundation, Pierre Alary, Bombardier et Georges Pothier, host for the evening.
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Frédéric Pagé Becomes a Member of the Board of Directors of the Young Bar Association of Montréal
Last May 20, the Young Bar Association of Montréal (YBAM) chose the members of its new Board of Directors for 2011-2012. Mr. Frédéric Pagé, a lawyer at Lavery, was elected Administrator of the YBAM and he will take on the Presidency of the Continuing Education Committee. Founded in 1898, the Young Bar Association of Montreal (YBAM) represents lawyers with 10 years or less of practice, registered in the Montreal area. The mission of the YBAM is to defend and promote its members’ interests. It also offers various segments of the population consulting and legal information on a volunteer basis, besides organizing charitable activities. Overall, the YBAM seeks to improve access to justice and to contribute to the well-being of the community.
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230 Corporate Counsels Attend the Lavery Seminar on Litigation Risk Management
Last June 14, Lavery held a seminar on litigation risk management for corporate counsels at Le Centre Sheraton Montréal. Besides a plenary assembly and a lunch and learn session, this event – which is accredited by the Barreau du Québec in the context of Mandatory Continuing Education – offered no less than six workshops on a variety of themes: an overview of litigation management; inquiries and inspections; communicating with the media; litigation alternatives; injunctions and safeguard orders; and litigation allowances. The fact that 230 corporate counsels attended was a clear indication of the relevance of the seminar, offered as a courtesy of Lavery.
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A Successful Annual Cocktail
Last June 8, some 150 people, including 95 clients and 40 lawyers at Lavery, gathered for the firm’s traditional summer cocktail. Triple World Champion and Olympic Medalist Alexandre Despatie – who was actually celebrating his birthday – paid the guests a visit. Every year, Lavery lawyers and partners invite present and prospective clients to this event, which took place this year at the Ex-Centris, on St. Lawrence Boulevard, in Montréal, amidst the F1 festivities.
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Another Lavery Partner Has Been Awarded the Title of Avocat émérite (Ad. E.)
Montréal, June 22, 2011 – Lavery is pleased to announce that the Barreau du Québec has awarded Mr. Raphaël Schachter, Q.C. the title of Avocat émérite (Ad.E.). This honour was created in 2007 to recognise sustained and outstanding contributions made by a select group of lawyers to the advancement of the profession, the work of the Barreau or their social or professional environment. Mr. Schachter joins an elite group of recipients, nine of whom are partners at Lavery. “We are honoured that the Barreau du Québec has awarded the distinction of Avocat émérite to our colleague, Raphaël Schachter, who has had a remarkable career in criminal and penal law. Because of his commitment, professional rigor and a set of strong personal values, he has provided our clients, often under difficult circumstances, with counsel and services of the highest quality,” Élise Poisson, Managing Partner, stressed. From the beginning of his career, Mr. Schachter has practised exclusively in the areas of criminal law, penal law and the penal aspects of competition law. He has appeared before courts of every level in Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada on numerous occasions. After practicing as a Quebec Crown Prosecutor from 1969 to 1972 and Federal Crown Prosecutor from 1972 to 1976, Mr. Schachter became a senior partner in the law firm of Lapointe, Schachter, Champagne & Talbot. He later joined Lavery, de Billy as a partner and created the first criminal and penal law department in any major law firm in the Province of Quebec to serve the business community. Appointed Queen's Counsel in 1986, and inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1994, Mr. Schachter was President of the Quebec Section from 2006-2008. He also authored an article on criminal law ethics and published in a textbook entitled Taking the Law Into Your Own Hands: Child Abduction and the Defence of Necessity, which compiled the texts of eight guests of honour who lectured at the University of Windsor Law Faculty during the previous eight years. Mr. Schachter is listed in the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada in the area of criminal law. On April 8, 2011, the Université de Montréal launched the Raphaël Schachter, Q.C., Scholarship Fund that will be administered by its Faculty of Law. This fund will provide support to students, organisations or initiatives associated primarily with the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Law and aimed at promoting or improving various aspect of criminal law including the fight against judicial mistakes.
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Louis Charette and Bernard Larocque speak at the Conference on Recent Developments in Insurance Law
On May 27th, Louis Charette and Bernard Larocque, both partners at Lavery, gave a conference entitled “Les montants de rétention ‘self-insured retention’: quelle est leur étendue en droit civil québécois?” at the Conference on Recent Developments in Insurance Law, organized by the Continuing Education Department of the Quebec Bar.Although infrequent, self-insured retentions are sometimes found in certain liability insurance policies, and raise complex legal problems in Quebec civil law. Mr. Charette and Mr. Larocque summarized the current state of the law in Quebec in this regard and discussed some of the issues raised by these retentions, which our courts will eventually have to address.This seminar inspired the publication of a text in a book called “Développements récents en droit des assurances” published by the continuing education department of the Quebec Bar, Editions Yvon Blais, and authored by Louis Charette, Bernard Larocque and Maude Lafortune-Bélair.
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Dina Raphaël and Nathalie Durocher, Speakers at the 2011 Annual Convention of the Canadian Association of Insurance Women
On May 27, Dina Raphaël, partner at Lavery, and Nathalie Durocher, lawyer at Lavery, were speakers at the 45th Annual Convention of the Canadian Association of Insurance Women at the Delta Centre-Ville Hotel in Montréal. Ms. Raphaël and Ms. Durocher gave a presentation called “À l’ère du web : formation du contrat d’assurance et preuve des documents technologiques” in front of approximately 40 participants.
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Michèle Gamache is awarded the Jules-Deschênes Prize By the Canadian Bar Association
Montreal, May 19, 2011 – Lavery is pleased to announce that the Quebec Division of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) has decided to honour a lawyer at the firm, Michèle Gamache, by awarding her the Jules-Deschênes Prize for 2011. This prestigious award, which recognizes the contribution of a member of the Quebec Division of the CBA who has shown exceptional dedication and outstanding team spirit through her ongoing commitment to the Association, was presented to Ms. Gamache at the annual President’s Dinner of the CBA-Quebec Division, held on May 12, 2011. Michèle Gamache became a member of the CBA in 1999. She has sat on the Quebec Division's Executive Committee since 2003 and has chaired its Communications Committee since 2004. In 2005, she joined the CBA National Communications Committee which she has chaired since 2010. She also joined the Board of the Law for the Future Fund in 2011 and was a member of the CBA By-laws Revision Committee from 2005 to 2011. “We are very honoured that Michèle Gamache is the winner of the Jules-Deschênes Prize in recognition of her contribution to our legal profession and to the Quebec Branch of the CBA. This award is a tribute to the quality and depth of her commitment to the profession and brings honour to the entire team at Lavery,” said Élise Poisson, managing partner.
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Stéphanie Chartray, recipient of the Jacques Perron Award of Excellence
Montreal, May 16, 2011 -Lavery congratulates Stéphanie Chartray, a law student at the University of Montreal and recipient of the “Prix d’excellence Jacques Perron”. Ms. Chartray received her prize last April 7 at the Faculty of Law’s annual “Cocktail de la reconnaissance”.Mr. Perron, a partner at Lavery, was a lecturer at the University of Montreal for 25 years. He created the “Prix d’excellence Jacques Perron” which is given every year to a student for his or her outstanding work in the Bureau des services juridiques, a legal aid clinic that he helped establish in 1973.
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15 Lavery Partners are Ranked in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
Montreal, May 17, 2011 – Lavery announces that the 2011 edition of Thomson Carswell’s Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory has ranked 15 of the firm’s partners among the most recommended lawyers in the country in their respective areas of practice. The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory is the most comprehensive guide to legal talent in Canada and is a resource of choice for Canadian and U.S. corporate counsel and law firms in need of leading edge legal expertise. The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory identifies the best lawyers in more than 60 practice areas based on the results of an exhaustive annual peer-review survey completed by more than a thousand respected legal professionals and a wide range of well-informed clients. Lavery’s lawyers are recommended in fields such as banking and financial institutions, financing, mining law, environmental law, information technology and e-commerce law, employment and labour law, class actions, medical liability, and commercial insurance litigation. “The lawyers at Lavery continue to distinguish themselves for the quality of their work and the recognition of their skills in their respective areas of practice, reflecting the culture of our firm and our commitment to providing the full range of legal services to business clients. I congratulate our 15 colleagues for this recognition and for their great contribution to the success of our clients,” said Élise Poisson, Lavery’s Managing Partner. The following are the lawyers at Lavery listed in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2011: Pierre L. Baribeau - Employment and Labour Law (Management) Michel Blouin - Mining Law René Branchaud – Mining Law Louise Cérat - Litigation – Commercial Insurance Pierre Denis - Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing Nicolas Gagnon - Construction Law Jean Hébert - Litigation – Commercial Insurance Jean-François Hotte - Employment and Labour Law (Management) Odette Jobin-Laberge - Litigation – Commercial Insurance Robert W. Mason - Litigation – Commercial Insurance; Litigation – Product Liability Jacques Nols - Medical Liability (Defendants) Louis Payette - Banking & Financial Institutions Jean Saint-Onge - Litigation - Class Actions; Litigation – Commercial Insurance; Litigation - Product Liability André Vautour - Computer & IT Law; Technology Transactions Michel Yergeau - Environmental Law For more information, please visit Lexpert’s website at: www.lexpert.ca/directory.
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Gérard Coulombe participates in a symposium on the challenges of French-speaking people on boards of directors following 50 years of governance in Quebec
On April 27, 2011, Gérard Coulombe, Partner at Lavery, participated in a symposium on the challenges of French-speaking people on boards of directors entitled: “50 ans de gouvernance au Québec : les défis de la présence francophone au sein des C.A.” This symposium brought together experienced administrators who have witnessed five decades of changes (1960-2010) to discuss the future of French-speaking members on the boards of directors of large-scale companies in Quebec and Canada. Organized by the Institut sur la gouvernance d’organisations privées et publiques, this event was held at the Loews Hotel Vogue in Montreal.
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Dina Raphaël and Nathalie Durocher, Speakers at the 2011 Damage Insurance Forum
On April 6, Dina Raphaël, partner at Lavery, and Nathalie Durocher, lawyer at Lavery, were speakers at the 2011 Damage Insurance Forum organized by the Chambre de l'assurance de dommages at the Hôtel de Mortagne in Boucherville. As the only members of a law firm invited to contribute to this forum, Ms. Raphaël and Ms. Durocher gave a presentation called “À l’ère du web : formation du contrat d’assurance et preuve des documents technologiques” in front of approximately 60 participants.