This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Lavery supports the Caisse de dépôt et placement in various financing transactions with Stornoway
Stornoway Diamond Corporation recently announced that it had closed its financing transactions with Orion Mine Finance, Ressources Québec (a wholly owned subsidiary of Investissement Québec) and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. The financing transactions, totalling almost $1 billion, are intended to provide a comprehensive funding package for the construction and opening of the Renard diamond mine north of Chibougamau. Under the supervision of Benjamin Gross, Lavery’s team represented the Caisse in these financing transactions. The Caisse invested more than $100 million in the form of debt, equity, and streaming (the purchase of part of production).
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Cocktail party and fireworks for our Sherbrooke clients: a sparkling success!
On July 15, Lavery’s Sherbrooke office invited its clients to attend a cocktail party on its premises to celebrate the Fête du Lac des Nations. More than a hundred people attended this event, during which partners and associates at our Sherbrooke office and the coordinators of our Montréal groups were able to meet and discuss business with clients in a festive atmosphere. The cocktail party was also an opportunity for the Sherbrooke lawyers to renew ties with their clients under Lavery’s new brand identity. In his speech, Don McCarty mentioned Lavery’s pride in being established in the region.
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In memory of Jacques de Billy
All of Lavery’s partners, associates, and staff wish to honour the memory of Mr. Jacques de Billy, one of our firm’s original driving forces, who passed away on July 14, 2014. A man of great learning and an outstanding litigator, he achieved complete mastery of case law and the subtleties of his profession. His strong commitment to the fields of law and business, as well as his contributions to the legal community and the economic life of Quebec and Canada, was exemplary. Called to the Bar in 1938, Mr. de Billy joined Gagnon, de Billy et associés in Québec that same year. Soon afterward, he studied common law at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. During the Second World War, he volunteered to serve with the Canadian army, where he was promoted to the rank of captain and forged ties with other officers from Toronto. Years later, he was made honorary Colonel of the 6th field artillery regiment. Mr. de Billy returned to his law practice in summer 1945. Under his leadership, the firm grew dramatically, primarily in the field of civil liability in relation to insurance. He was the firm’s guiding spirit until his retirement about twenty years ago. A recognized expert in insurance law, he also placed his skills at the service of the business community by serving on various boards of directors. We will remember Mr. Jacques de Billy as a warm-hearted, cultured man and a versatile, high-calibre lawyer. On behalf of the entire team at Lavery, we wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
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Pierre Marc Johnson, of Lavery, receives honorary doctorate from Université de Montréal
Pierre Marc Johnson, GOQ, FRSC, former premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery, recently received an honorary doctorate during the doctoral degree commencement ceremony at Université de Montréal. This distinction recognizes the expertise and excellence of national or international figures in the major fields of human activity: scientific or literary, cultural or social, political or economic, administrative or financial.Also honoured on this occasion: Lieutenant-general Romeo A. Dallaire Serge Haroche, 2012 Nobel Prize in physics Guy Frija, graduate of Université Paris Descartes in medicine and holder of a post-graduate degree in electroradiology
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Michel Blouin and René Branchaud of Lavery recognized as mining law leaders in Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada
Mr. Michel Blouin and Mr. René Branchaud, Business Law partners at Lavery, have been recognized as mining law leaders in Leading Canadian Lawyers in Global Mining, in the 2014 issue of Lexpert’s directory, Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada.This prestigious recognition is the result of extensive peer surveys conducted not only in Canada but also worldwide. The expertise of Mr. Blouin and Mr. Branchaud in the area of mining law is therefore recognized internationally.To consult this Lexpert publication, click here.
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Quebec’s 2013 Prix de la justice awarded to Hélène (Sioui) Trudel
On June 16, Quebec’s 2013 Prix de la justice was awarded to Ms. Hélène (Sioui) Trudel during a ceremony in the National Assembly’s Red Room in the presence of Stéphanie Vallée, Quebec Minister of Justice, Nicole Duval-Hesler, Chief Justice of Quebec, and former honorees, including Mr. Jean Saint-Onge, a Lavery partner who received the award in 2007.Throughout her career, Ms. Trudel, a criminologist and lawyer by training, has prioritized the recognition and protection of human rights, promoting access to equality and social justice. The youngest daughter of a Wendat mother and a Québécois father, she has been influenced by the Aboriginal concept of restorative justice.The Minister for Justice highlighted Ms. Trudel’s exceptional contributions to promoting social justice in Quebec.This award is Quebec's highest honourary distinction in the field of law. Photo: Can be recognized on the picture :Stéphanie Vallée, Quebec Minister of Justice; Hélène (Sioui) Trudel, the 2013 award winner; Nicole Duval-Hesler, Chief Justice of Quebec; and Mr. Jean Saint-Onge, the 2007 award winner
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Breakfast meeting on Canada’s new anti-spam legislation: Better safe than sorry
On June 17, Mr. Loïc Berdnikoff, partner in administrative law at Lavery, and Ms. Joanne Desjardins and Ms. Myriam Duguay of KPMG, were guest speakers at a breakfast meeting that attracted some sixty people to the Lavery Conference Center. The goal of this presentation was to help participants prepare for the coming into force of this legislation on July 1, 2014, and to ensure that sound business practices are adopted in the area of electronic communications.In particular, the speakers focused on the companies and organizations targeted by the Act, its scope, and the penalties for offending companies. In addition, they offered tips on complying with the new law.For more information concerning this new legislation, please refer to our “Need to know” report on this subject.
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Jean-Philippe Turgeon, of Lavery, guest speaker at the International Franchise Expo in New York City
On June 19, Jean-Philippe Turgeon, partner and head of the Franchise and distribution section at Lavery, was guest speaker at the International Franchise Expo in New York City. The exhibition, which attracted franchisors and exhibitors from around the globe, is one of the largest franchise expos in the world, presenting the latest franchise concepts and local and international business opportunities.Mr. Turgeon’s talk, “Franchising in Canada: The duality of laws and cultures,” aimed to educate foreign franchisors about the cultural and legal diversity of franchises in Canada, and thereby, promote the advantage of expanding their concept in Quebec.
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Louis-Martin Dubé, of Lavery, author of an article in Premières en affaires magazine
Mr. Louis-Martin Dubé, partner in real estate law at Lavery, is the author of an article titled “L’importance de divulguer – Annulation d’une vente d’immeuble,” recently published in Premières en affaires magazine.The article discusses the experience of a property owner who, when selling his home, failed to disclose the suicide of the former occupants. Mr. Dubé discusses and explains the judge’s decision, highlighting the obligations of the seller and the importance of certain real estate rules.To read the article (in French, on page 45), click here.
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Katia Opalka of Lavery, Chair of the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section of the Quebec Branch of the Canadian Bar Association
Katia Opalka, a partner at Lavery practising in the areas of environmental and aboriginal law, has taken over as chair of the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section of the Quebec Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. During her two-year term, Ms. Opalka intends to offer Section members practical and relevant continuing education programming. She also plans to deliver networking opportunities that bring together businesspeople, environmental services professionals, lawyers and law students.
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Lavery optimizes service offering in franchise and distribution law, welcoming Jean-Philippe Turgeon and Stéphanie Destrempes
Lavery is pleased to announce the optimization of its service offering in franchise and distribution law with the arrival of Mr. Jean-Philippe Turgeon and Ms. Stéphanie Destrempes, respectively partner and associate in this growing field of legal practice.Lavery’s franchise and distribution section offers local and international franchisors, distributors, retailers, and manufacturers the legal services they need to build or strengthen their business model, expand their system in Canada and internationally, and enhance their brand and concept.Mr. Turgeon is head of Lavery’s franchise and distribution section. He represents and advises Canadian, U.S., and European franchisors, retailers, and manufacturers in various industries on issues underlying development and support of the operational structure, supply chain, and system’s expansion.Ms. Destrempes primarily represents Quebec franchisors and distributors in the food service industry dealing with issues related to the elaboration of business agreements and system’s support and restructuring.“The addition of Jean-Philippe Turgeon and Stéphanie Destrempes to our team will allow our clients to benefit from recognized expertise in franchise and distribution law,” said Don McCarty, managing partner at Lavery.