This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Léonie Gagné moderates a seminar at the Insurtech QC 2017 Day
On April 3, Léonie Gagné, a lawyer in our Litigation and Conflict Resolution Group, moderated a seminar during the Insurtech QC 2017 Day, which was held at the Quebec City port terminal as part of the Semaine numérique (Digital Week) in Quebec City. The seminar, entitled Répondre aux besoins des nouveaux consommateurs : l'assurance de l'économie collaborative (Responding to the Needs of the New Consumer: Insurance of Collaborative Economics), the two speakers Emmanuelle Mury, co-founder of InsPeer, a French peer-to-peer insurance platform, and Tim Attia, CEO of Slice Labs, an American on-demand insurance platform, discussed the topic of the transformation of the insurance industry and the emergence of insurance platforms in this new era of Insurance 2.0.
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Louis-Martin Dubé, speaker at the Advanced Forum on Commercial Leasing
On May 3, Louis-Martin Dubé, a partner in the Business Law Group, spoke at the Advanced Forum on the legal, financial and business aspects of commercial leasing, which will be held at the Hotel Omni Mont-Royal, in Montreal. The lecture, entitled: "The relevance of recent decisions on commercial leases," sought to review the landmark decisions on commercial leases to help stakeholders in this field identify trends and issues that may have an impact on their activities or on the advice they offer to their clients.
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Élodie Brunet and Nicolas Gagnon spoke at the Bitume Québec Annual Conference
Élodie Brunet and Nicolas Gagnon spoke at the 13th Annual Conference of Bitume Québec that was held at the Grand Times Hotel in Drummondville on April 5. Élodie Brunet, a lawyer in the Labour and Employment Law Group, gave a presentation on the management of workplace health and safety, discussing, in particular, prevention and some practical elements of a due diligence defence and the management of workplace injuries. Nicolas Gagnon, a partner in the Litigation and Conflict Resolution Group, discussed in his presentation the limits of the protection afforded by a stipulation for another included in a construction contract, and reviewed the case law in 2016 regarding calls for tender.
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Guillaume Lavoie selected as finalist at the ARISTA 2017 Provincial Contest
On March 30, the ARISTA Provincial Contest announced that Guillaume Lavoie, a partner and head of the Lavery CAPITAL and mergers and acquisitions groups, has been selected as one of three finalists in the Quebec Young Professional category. The name of the winner will be revealed at the ARISTA Gala on May 29, 2017, to be held at the Marché Bonsecours. As a finalist, Guillaume Lavoie will also be eligible for the Hydro-Québec "Coup de cœur”, which is awarded to the finalist who receives the most votes from the public. The public can vote by clicking “Like” under the finalist’s picture (to visit the page, click here). The ARISTA Provincial Contest is organized by the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. ARISTA rewards and showcases young business leaders from Quebec who stand out and demonstrate leadership and innovation, whether by their professional success or by their contribution to the community. For more information about this contest, click here.
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André Vautour, panelist at the World Services Group Meeting of the Americas
On March 2–3, 2017, Business Law Group partner André Vautour served as a panelist at the World Services Group Meeting of the Americas in Dallas. The panel was made up of Patrick Kelly from Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. in Minnesota, Juan Jose Lopez de Silanes Molina from Basham, Ringe y Correa, S.C. in Mexico, and Mr. Vautour. Entitled The Northern American Market in 2017 – Comparing the US, Canadian, and Mexican Perspectives, the panel gave stakeholders an opportunity to share their views on the upcoming challenges facing trade between North American countries and to identify possible solutions. For more information about the World Services Group, click here.
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Jean-Philippe Turgeon, speaker at Funding Meet-and-Greet – Franchise Special
On March 30, 2017, Jean-Philippe Turgeon, partner and head of the Franchising and Distribution group, was a speaker at the Funding Meet-and-Greet – Franchise Special held by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. More specifically, he led the discussion on the topic of Franchise rules and legal aspects in a roundtable panel that gave several franchisors and franchisees an opportunity to learn more about the legal aspects of various funding options.
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Lavery welcomes three new lawyers
Lavery is pleased to welcome three new lawyers, Katherine Athanasopoulos, Nadia Hanine and Sonia Rasquinha, to the firm. They bring with them the knowledge and experience they gained as articling students with the firm and will be joining the Business Law group. “Hiring these three new lawyers is a testament to the quality of their work as articling students. We are proud to be keeping the students we trained among our ranks,” said Jean-Yves Simard, Lavery’s Interim Managing Partner.
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Pierre Marc Johnson participates in the “Québec, porte d'entrée de l'Amérique du Nord” conference in Toulouse
On March 9, Pierre Marc Johnson, counsel and chief negotiator for the Government of Quebec for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), spoke at an event held at the head office of the Banque Courtois in Toulouse and organized by International Mission. Mr. Johnson’s subject was Québec, porte d'entrée de l'Amérique du Nord (Quebec, the gateway to North America), and he shared the platform with Yves Grimard, Europe director atInvestissement Québec, and David Kassar, President of International Mission. The speakers discussed the various business opportunities in Quebec for firms from the region, in particular in connection with the recent ratification of the CETA by the European Parliament. For more information about International Mission, click here.
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Bernard Larocque speaks to the National Conference on Class Actions
On March 23, Bernard Larocque, a partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution group, was a panel member at the 14th annual National Conference on Class Actions held by the Barreau du Québec at the Palais des Congrès in Montréal. The purpose of the presentation, entitled Action collective en matière environnementale (class actions in environmental law), was to discuss various issues that arise in hearings on the merits of class actions relating to environmental problems.
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“Défi 100 jours L’Effet A”: Marie Cossette discusses how she achieved personal growth
As the 5th group of participants is about to begin the “Défi 100 jours L’effet A” (the 100-day challenge, the “A Effect”), Marie Cossette talks about her experience. Marie, who is a partner and heads the Business Integrity group, participated as a leader in the fourth edition of “l’Effet A”, which took place from September 9 to December 16, 2016. The challenge she set for herself was to encourage meetings and dialogue between business and cultural communities, all in the while emphasizing the importance of communication for professional advancement. She strongly believes that culture contributes significantly to economic development and is also a vector for enriching both our personal and our professional lives. Much to the delight of the participants in the fourth edition of the challenge, Marie also set herself the goal of guiding them on how to improve the way they express their opinions by encouraging them to communicate authentically and confidently. Marie Cossette spoke positively about her experience and confesses to having achieved personal growth through it. “The workshops and discussions we had with the participants made us think about things we had pushed aside; we dive back into them, we look at the concepts and ideas anew. These events also give us an opportunity to ask ourselves questions we had never thought about before. It is very unsettling! Ultimately, it is an experience that forces you to get off the beaten track,” she said. She will continue to be involved with the movement over the coming year. “L’effet A” is an initiative whose aim is to inspire women to get involved professionally and give them the courage to get out of their comfort zones and take concrete action for themselves. This is accomplished by presenting inspirational leaders who provide a new perspective on women’s ambition by offering practical tools that are suited to the new realities of women’s lives. For more information on “l’Effet A”, click here (in French only).
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Élodie Brunet gives a presentation on mental health in the workplace for future CRHA and CRIA
On March 8, 2017, Élodie Brunet, a lawyer in the Labour and Employment Law group, was a speaker at the industrial relations week organized by the future CRHA and CRIA at the Université de Montréal jointly with the Ordre des CRHA. The presentation was an opportunity for students to learn more about the practical and legal aspects of managing mental health in the workplace.
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Pier-Olivier Fradette and Charlotte Fortin present recent developments in municipal law
On March 17, Pier-Olivier Fradette and Charlotte Fortin, lawyers in the Administrative Law group, gave a presentation at the 26th annual conference on recent developments in municipal law organized by the Barreau du Québec. The presentation dealt with the new Act to improve the legal situation of animals and analyzed the novel features of that Act, the standards it maintains from previous legislation, and its impact on the treatment of animals and on municipalities’ powers in the management of domestic animals and stray animals.