News

Lavery is pleased to announce the arrival of four new professionals.   Laura Bassal, paralegal Laura Bassal is a paralegal member of the civil Litigation team where she specializes in the fields of insurance and construction litigation.   Marie-Claude Côté, associate Marie-Claude Côté is a member of the firm’s Business Law Group and focuses her practice on transactional and commercial law, and more specifically on securities law.   Marc-Étienne Lauzon-Joset, associate Marc-Étienne Lauzon-Joset is a member of the Business Law Group and focuses his practice on commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law and real estate law.   Brandon Yin, paralegal Brandon Yin is a paralegal member of the Business Law team where he assists lawyers practising in corporate law and helps prepare legal documents required for various business transactions.

Logient is a Quebec-based company that offers a diversified range of business software services under one roof. Its development, integration, consulting and management services can be adapted to the needs of each and any client. Thanks to a team of seasoned professionals and its CEO, Vincent Godcharles, Logient has experienced meteoric growth of more than 30% year after year for the past six years. It is a privilege for Lavery to have Logient as a client. We are proud to support Logient in its growth strategy, achieved through the many acquisitions it has made in the past few years, and ensure that Logient’s business objectives are met with all legal bases covered. Watch the video (in french only)

Lavery is happy to announce that Sébastien Vézina, a partner in the Business Law group, is a finalist in Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in the Business category. For this Top 25, the entire Canadian legal community is invited to vote to identify the five winners in each of the following categories: Human Rights, Advocacy and Criminal Business In-house Changemakers Government/Non-profits/Associations Being named to the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers is not a recognition of lifetime achievement, but rather an acknowledgment of the significance of the work done over the last 18 months. You can complete the survey by clicking here. (Deadline: June 25, 2021)

Lavery is happy to announce that Stéphanie Destrempes has been appointed to the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Conseil québécois de la franchise (CQF). Stéphanie’s appointment leaves no doubt as to the depth of her expertise in serving franchisors, distributors, retailers and manufacturers. In the wake of this appointment, Lavery also announces that Stéphanie will now be in charge of the firm's Franchise and Distribution Group.

On April 20, 2021, GroupAssur, a managing general agent (MGA) offering specialty insurance products across Canada, announced its merger with our client Evolution Insurance, a wholesaler specializing in the underwriting of complex liability and construction risks. The merger makes GroupAssur Canada’s largest independent managing general agent in property and casualty insurance. Evolution Insurance’s expertise will enable GroupAssur to expand its product offering into target markets across Canada. A Lavery team led by Martin Pichette and Sébastien Vézina and composed of Jean-Paul Timothée, Gabriella Settino, Isabelle Normand and Florence Fournier (transactional) and Ali El Haskouri, Bernard Trang and Ana Nascimento (financing) played a significant role in representing Evolution Insurance’s interests throughout the transaction.

Lavery is pleased to announce that it has been named Quebec Law Firm of the Year for a second consecutive year at the Canadian Law Awards. The winners of the Canadian Law Awards are determined by a panel of independent judges composed of lawyers working in private practice and as in-house counsel.  This recognition is a testament to the service we provide to our clients and the exceptional talent of our lawyers.

Lavery is pleased to announce that Cirque du Soleil’s restructuring transaction was named Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year at the Canadian Law Awards. Lavery represented the ad hoc committee of first lien lenders to Cirque du Soleil in connection with the acquisition of Cirque du Soleil pursuant to a credit bid under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (the “CCAA”) for $1.2 billion. This transaction involved one of the most well-known Canadian corporation and brand world-wide.  Lavery advised and assisted the group of creditors in the CCAA proceedings, the sale of Cirque du Soleil’s Canadian assets to its creditors and the organization of the new corporate and legal structure, including the governance structure. The transaction took place primarily in Canada and the United States, but also involved work in Luxembourg, Russia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Australia, among other jurisdictions. The Lavery team was led by Sébastien Vézina and included Éric Gélinas, Guy Lavoie, Jonathan Warin, Josianne Beaudry, Stéphanie Dubois, Ali El Haskouri, Florence Fournier, Annie Groleau, Emma-Sophie Hall, Chantal Lefebvre, Jean-François Maurice, Joëlle Montpetit, Martin Pichette, Jean-Paul Timothée, Bernard Trang, André Vautour. 

Lavery is pleased to announce the arrival of two new professionals.   Sophie Gauvin-Sasseville, associate  Sophie Gauvin-Sasseville is a lawyer in our Litigation group, specializing in insurance law, civil liability and professional liability. She represents, among others, insurers, financial institutions, contractors and pre-purchase inspectors. Her experience and practice have led her to assist clients throughout the judicial process and plead regularly before the civil courts of law.   Joanie Hébert, notary Joanie Hébert is a notary member of the Business Law group. She focuses her practice primarily in the areas of financing, commercial law and real estate law. She regularly works with financial institutions on the establishment of security interests and the preparation of credit documents. She is also involved in real estate transactions and corporate reorganizations, as part of which she is called upon to draft numerous commercial agreements.

On May 4, 2021, the Government of Canada, the Government of Québec, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Ivanhoé Cambridge announced the formation of a consortium of investors that will make $120 million available to co-ops, non-profit organizations (NPOs) and housing agencies for the construction or renovation of affordable housing. The Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation, Fondaction, the Mirella and Lino Saputo Foundation and the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation collectively added $31 million to the sum. The strategic partnership will be managed by the Association des groupes de ressources techniques du Québec (AGRTQ) starting in the fall of 2021.  Lavery Lawyers advised and assisted the project partners with the drafting and implementation of the legal structure and documentation necessary to create and start up the consortium of investors. Lavery is pleased to have put its expertise and professional and financial resources to work for the project, and to thereby contribute to an initiative that benefits both families and the economic vitality of Quebec. The Lavery team, led by Brigitte Gauthier, was composed of Jean-Sébastien Desroches, Jean-François Maurice, François Renaud, Bernard Trang and André Vautour.

Lavery is proud to announce that 29 partners are ranked among the leading practitioners in Canada in their respective practice areas in the 2021 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. The following Lavery partners are listed in the 2021 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: Asset Securitization Brigitte Gauthier Aviation (Regulation & Liability) Louis Charette Class Actions Myriam Brixi Louis Charette Construction law Nicolas Gagnon Corporate Commercial law Jean-Sébastien Desroches Yves Rocheleau André Vautour Corporate Finance & Securities Josianne Beaudry René Branchaud Corporate Tax Audrey Gibeault Employment Law Marie-Josée Hétu, CIRC Guy Lavoie Family Law Elisabeth Pinard Infrastructure Law Jean-Sébastien Desroches Intellectual Property Chantal Desjardins Isabelle Jomphe Alain Y. Dussault Insolvency & Financial Restructuring Yanick Vlasak Labour Relations Michel Desrosiers Richard Gaudreault Simon Gagné Danielle Gauthier, CHRP Michel Gélinas Marie-Josée Hétu, CIRC Guy Lavoie Zeïneb Mellouli Litigation - Commercial Insurance Bernard Larocque Judith Rochette Litigation - Product Liability Louis Charette Mergers & Acquisitions Jean-Sébastien Desroches Mining Josianne Beaudry René Branchaud Sébastien Vézina Occupational Health & Safety Éric Thibaudeau Property Leasing Richard Burgos Workers' Compensation Guy Lavoie Carl Lessard Éric Thibaudeau The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory is the most comprehensive publication to legal talent in the country and it identifies leading practitioners in over 60 separate practice areas and leading law firms in over 40 practice areas. It is a reference guide for Canadian and foreign corporate counsels and law firms in need of specialized legal services in Canada. For more information, please visit Lexpert’s website at: http://www.lexpert.ca/directory.

Lavery is pleased to announce the arrival of Béatrice Bilodeau.   Béatrice Bilodeau Béatrice Bilodeau is a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution group and her practice focuses primarily in real estate and commercial litigation. She regularly pleads before all Quebec civil and administrative tribunals, particularly in the context of injunctive remedies.