This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Lavery’s Élodie Brunet, speaker at “La Tournée Pensons Prévention” organized by SPI Santé Sécurité
On December 2, 2015, Élodie Brunet, an associate in the Labour and Employment Law Group at Lavery, will give the opening presentation of “La Tournée Pensons Prévention”, organized by SPI Santé Sécurité on the South Shore of Montreal. This event, which is free of charge, is addressed to all those who value occupational health and safety in their workplace, namely managers and business executives. Ms. Brunet’s presentation entitled “Le succès d’une défense de diligence raisonnable passe inévitablement par la prévention” (“A successful due diligence defence necessarily begins with prevention”) seeks to: raise awareness regarding the practical elements an employer must implement in order to deal with a CSST inspection, a statement of offence alleging a violation of the Act Respecting Occupational Health and Safety or a charge of criminal negligence; discuss certain practical elements of a due diligence defence, which essentially consists in taking the necessary measures to protect the health and safety of the various stakeholders. This event will take place at 8 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Montreal-Longueuil, on 900, St-Charles East Street, in Longueuil. Other topics relating to occupational health and safety will be discussed throughout the day, namely during an Experience Sharing Panel, a conference on enclosed spaces and assessment workshops (protection against falls or lockouts). For more information or to register, click here. Please note that this event will take place in French.
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Jean-François Lévesque appointed Chief Client Officer (CCO) at Lavery
Committed to placing clients at the centre of all its actions, Lavery – the leading independent law firm in Quebec – recently appointed Jean-François Lévesque as Chief Client Officer for all its operations. Working closely with the managing partner and the board of directors, Mr. Lévesque will play a leadership role in the firm’s client-focused approach, business development, marketing, and communications. “The creation of the position of Chief Client Officer (CCO) was inspired by the firm’s strategic plan, which places client service at the focus of all Lavery’s concerns,” explained Don McCarty, managing partner. “Client needs and interests are at the heart of all our initiatives, so we decided to make it the primary responsibility of one of our executive officers.” With degrees in both law and literature, and resolutely focused on the business of law, Mr. Lévesque is known for his ability to find creative solutions to the specific challenges facing companies in the B2B sector. In fact, he will be a panelist at the “Sommet marketing B2B” organized by Les Affaires newspaper on November 24.
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Lavery represents the Chambre des notaires du Québec before the Supreme Court of Canada
On November 3, 2015, Raymond Doray, Ad. E., and Loïc Berdnikoff represented the Chambre des notaires du Québec before the Supreme Court of Canada to obtain a declaration of unconstitutionality regarding various provisions of theIncome Tax Act (ITA) which authorize the Minister of National Revenue, by means of a simple letter, to require that any person provide information or documents that might be of assistance in the administration or enforcement of the ITA, including lawyers and notaries. According to the Chambre, the provisions in question, when applied to a notary, violate the right to “solicitor-client privilege” and restrict the freedom of notaries in a manner that is not in accordance with the principle of fundamental justice relating to the legal counsel’s duty of committed representation. Mr. Guillaume Laberge and Ms. Laurence Bich-Carrière actively took part in the preparation of this case. To read a summary of the case, please click here.
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Pierre Marc Johnson delivers the closing address at a conference on methane in the lead-up to COP21
In Paris, on November 9, 2015, Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, former premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery recognized for his expertise in international trade and cross-border partnerships, delivered the closing address at a conference entitled “Mitigating methane emissions: From science to innovative solutions”. The conference was organized by the Veolia Institute, in collaboration with the Agence Française de Développement and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, within the scope of preparatory activities leading up to the forthcoming COP21 on climate change. For more information and to view the conference’s programme, please click here. a
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Lavery lunch and learn: Business law and sports
On November 17, 2015, Mtre Sébastien Vézina and Mtre Benjamin David Gross, partners in the business law team of Lavery, will share their experiences as counsel in the field of sports law at a lunch and learn with the Comité droit des affaires et gestion (CDAG) of the Faculty of Law of the University of Montreal. For more information or to register, click here.
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René Branchaud, guest speaker at the RCGT half-day on issues in the mining industry
On November 3, 2015, René Branchaud, partner at Lavery, was guest speaker at the RCGT half-day on issues in the mining industry. Organized by Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton in Montréal, this conference offered financial and tax information in the mining sector. Speakers discussed numerous subjects, namely: governance on issues in the mining sector; innovation funding and tax credits for mining companies; support with recruitment – growth capital.
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Awatif Lakhdar speaks on unjust enrichment
On October 28 and November 6, 2015, Ms. Awatif Lakhdar, a Lavery lawyer specialized in Family Law, Personal Law and Private International Law, presented a conference entitled « L’enrichissement sans cause: Où en sont nos tribunaux en 2015 ? » (Unjust enrichment : Where do our courts of law stand in 2015?) to over 75 participants during a seminar organized by the Bar’s Continuing Education Department in Montreal and during a training day for the Richelieu Bar. During this conference, Mtre. Lakhdar presented the landmark decisions and trends of 2015 on the issue of unjust enrichment.
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Louis Rochette on the board of directors of the Société du Grand Théâtre de Québec
On November 11, 2015, the Quebec Cabinet proceeded to numerous nominations, including Louis Rochette’s, a Lavery partner, as independant member and Chair of the board of directors of the Société du Grand Théâtre de Québec. Founded in 1971, the Société du Grand Théâtre de Québec corporation is mandated to manage the Grand Théâtre de Québec and present, create and produce shows.
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Jean Boulet appointed to the Assemblée des Centraide du Québec Executive Committee
Jean Boulet, a partner in Lavery’s Trois-Rivieres office whose practice focuses on labour law, collective bargaining and occupational health and safety law, was recently appointed to the Executive Committee of the Assemblée des Centraide du Québec (ACQ). Well known for being very active in the community, Mr. Boulet joins a committee made up of seven members appointed by the ACQ on the recommendation of its Executive Committee.
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André Paquette of Lavery speaker at the Symposium sur la conformité au Québec 2015
On October 28, 2015, André Paquette, a partner and member of the Business Law Group, presented a conference entitled “Vous envisagez acheter un bloc d’affaires? Parlons de gestion de risques!” (“Thinking of buying a block of business? Let’s talk risk management!”) at the Symposium sur la conformité au Québec 2015 (Quebec 2015 Compliance Symposium) organized by Freedom 55 Financial and held at Centre Mont-Royal in Montreal. Mr. Paquette’s presentation reviewed the block of business acquisition process and the main legal, tax and ethical issues the buyer must take into account and discussedpossible solutions to adequately manage risksinvolved.
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Caroline Harnois – speaker at a mini-conference on “The Hague Convention and international child abduction: right of child and claims for refugee protection”
On October 22, 2015, Caroline Harnois, a partner at Lavery and a member of the Family Law, Personal Law and Estate Law team, spoke at the Canadian Bar Association, Québec Branch’s conference “La Convention de La Haye sur les aspects civils de l'enlèvement international d'enfants: droit de l’enfant et demandes d’asile” (Hague Convention on the civil aspects of the international child abduction: right of the child and claims for refugee protection). For more information about this event, please click here.
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Two Lavery lawyers worked with Lawyers Without Borders Canada to develop a written argument in favour of Raïf Badawi’s release
On November 3, 2015, Ms. Awatif Lakhdar and Ms Zeïneb Mellouli, both lawyers at Lavery, participated in a press conference held by Lawyers Without Borders Canada (LWBC) regarding the publication of a written argument in favour of Raïf Badawi’s release that was submitted to the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Canada and the Saudi Minister of Justice on August 15, 2015 The written argument is the fruit of LWBC teamwork in collaboration with the Barreau du Québec, renowned experts in the field of human rights and Islamic law and Lavery, in particular through Ms. Lakhdar and Ms. Mellouli’s contributions to the written argument’s preparation and its Arabic translation and revision. Ms. Awatif Lakhdar is a member of the Family Law, Personal Law and Estate Law Group and, in particular, practices in private international law, and Ms. Zeïneb Mellouli is a member of the Labour and Employment Law Group and is well versed in public international law by way of her master’s degree in transnational law and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees internship in Geneva. Together, the argument and its publication constitute another important LWBC initiative aimed at bringing about Mr. Badawi’s release. The report is available for download here. Camille Gagné-Raynauld, Pascal Paradis, Ensaf Haidar, Zeïneb Mellouli, Awatif Lakhdar and Julia Poulin.