This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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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
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Lavery awards two $500 scholarships to Université de Montréal law students
Loïc Berdnikoff, Director of Professional Development, presented two Université de Montréal law students with a Lavery scholarship on November 6 and 8. The first scholarship was awarded to Gabriel Pichette for excellence and interest in the area of labour law. The second scholarship was awarded to Mayssa Bibi for excellence and interest in the area of environmental law.
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Chloé Fauchon chairs a seminar on cooperative federalism
As co-chair of the Administrative, Constitutional and Human Rights section of the Canadian Bar Association – Québec Branch, Chloé Fauchon, an associate of the Public and Administrative Law group, chaired a seminar given by the Honourable Justice Clément Gascon of the Supreme Court of Canada, Professor Noura Karazivan of the Université de Montréal Faculty of Law and Mtre Alexander Pless of the Department of Justice Canada, held at the Lavery Conference Centre in Montréal. The seminar was entitled Fédéralisme coopératif – perspective historique et développements récents and was moderated by Mtre Olga Redko of Irving Mitchell Kalichman. Speakers discussed the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments by reviewing historical developments regarding cooperative federalism in the case law, recent decisions and cases currently before the courts.
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Me Nathalie Roy, Lawyer Emeritus and former executive director of Éducaloi, chooses Lavery
Lavery is pleased to announce that Nathalie Roy, Ad. E., has been named Project Manager, Training and Skills Development effective December 18. Under the direction of Loïc Berdnikoff, Director of Professional Development, Me Roy will be responsible for developing and implementing training programs within the firm. The core of Lavery’s success is based on retaining exceptional, engaged talent and recruiting highly qualified individuals. Under the leadership of the new chief executive officer and supported by the management team, Lavery aims to become a talent incubator, with a team of experts dedicated to developing its professionals. “Me Roy is a seasoned manager and an engaged leader. She has developed a keen understanding of the skills development needs in our industry”, commented Loïc Berdnikoff. “We are privileged to benefit from her long career to consolidate our offer. Her knowledge of the legal community and its transformation makes her a highly qualified player to define and implement programs to train the talent of today and tomorrow.” Me Roy co-founded Éducaloi, a pioneer in the communication of legal content in Quebec, and is known for her innovative vision and deep desire to do things differently. “A talent-based approach is entirely in keeping with the perception I have of my role and I am delighted to be working with an ambitious team to implement an audacious action plan,” remarked Me Roy. “Professional development is a key condition for ensuring that our resources, at every level, are both happy at work and equipped to be business partners with clients. I am very happy to be using my expertise and past experience to play a key role in developing skills and knowledge transfer at Lavery.” The strategic role that Me Roy will play in professional development is directly in line with the firm’s commitment to support its talent by implementing clear and sustained actions. “To embody its vision of being a key actor in the transformation of legal services in Quebec, Lavery has made it a point of honour to place talent at the core of its business strategy,” stated Anik Trudel, Lavery’s Chief Executive Officer. “The arrival of Me Roy at Lavery is proof that the firm is giving itself the means to implement a concrete action plan to respond to the challenges of today, while planning for the future.”
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Pierre Marc Johnson receives the Paul-André-Crépeau Medal from CBA-Quebec
On November 28, the Quebec Branch of the Canadian Bar Association presented the prestigious Paul-André-Crépeau Medal for 2017 to Pierre Marc Johnson, counsel and chief negotiator for the Government of Quebec regarding the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), at their holiday season cocktail party. Acting as chief negotiator for Quebec, since 2009, in the negotiations of the proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union, Mr. Johnson has been responsible for relations with and making representations to the responsible authorities of the federal government (of Canada) and the European Union on behalf of a dozen departments of the Quebec government. Moreover, he will continue making his submissions to the national European governments in order to ensure the full ratification of CETA. Recently, in connection with the NAFTA negotiations, Mr. Johnson was appointed special counsel to the Quebec government for the trade agreements and a member of the NAFTA Advisory Council on the Environment by the Government of Canada. "Just like the Barreau du Quebec Medal he received last spring, this distinction rightfully highlights Mr. Johnson's contribution and work in advancing the international dimension of Canadian private and commercial law. It is a privilege for us to be able to count on his expertise, his spirit of collegiality, and the positive influence he has on our younger lawyers", stated Anik Trudel, Chief Executive Officer. Additional information: list of previous medal recipients Marie-Christine Hivon, chairwoman of the board of directors, CBA-Québec and Me Pierre Marc Johnson.
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Justin Trudel speaks at a dinner seminar at the Cégep de Trois-Rivières
On October 24, Justin Trudel, an associate of the Business Law group, spoke during a dinner seminar organized by the Social Sciences Department at the Cégep de Trois-Rivières. Each year, the Department organizes meetings between students and various professionals working in diverse settings in order to demystify certain myths about trades and answer questions. This is the second consecutive year that Mr. Trudel participated and shared with students his career path, the reality of practising law in a large law firm and the different general practice areas.