This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Lavery facilitates a partnership between Soccer Québec and the Montreal Impact
On January 16, Soccer Québec and the Montreal Impact announced a partnership to boost the popularity and quality of Quebec soccer. Lavery had the opportunity to support Soccer Québec in reaching this agreement, which is the first in Canada between a professional soccer club and a provincial sporting federation. The main subject of this agreement is the long-term acquisition of Soccer Québec’s commercial and marketing rights by the Montreal club until the FIFA World Cup in 2026 in North America. This will allow Soccer Québec and the Impact to join forces to promote and support the continued growth of soccer in the province. The Lavery sports law team that counselled Soccer Québec was made up of Sébastien Vézina and Andrée-Anne Perras-Fortin. Click here to learn more.
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Lavery announces appointment of Simon Clément as managing partner of its Québec City office
Lavery is pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Clément as managing partner of Lavery’s Québec City office. In addition to managing Lavery’s Québec City office, comprised of 44 professionals and employees,Mr. Clément will be responsible for the overall growth of the firm’s activities and the firm’s position in the Québec City area. As such, he will be joining the firm’s Management Committee. A professional known in the business community for his expertise and drive Mr. Clément’s practice extends to commercial litigation, including shareholder conflicts, corporate reorganizations and insolvency, breach of contract and urgent proceedings. He also offers legal counsel to long-term clients for acquisitions as well as sales of businesses and assets, in particular. In keeping with this, he chairs the Québec City division of the M&A Club, founded in 2012 to facilitate deal making and financing in the mid-market private sector between M&A professionals. “Lavery is more than a century old and has strong roots in Québec City. With its reputation well established, the firm has reinvented itself over time through bold decisions. Not only am I pleased to join the Lavery network and the entire Québec City team, but I am also eager to put my network and energy to work for the benefit of the firm’s clients and its strategic plan,” says Mr. Clément. An appointment in keeping with Lavery’s vision This arrival coincides with the start of major work aimed at expanding our Québec City office. “I am pleased to pass the torch on to Simon, as our Québec City office redefines itself in new premises and as the region is offering great opportunities for economic growth,” says Daniel Bouchard. “With his excellent legal reputation, entrepreneurial skills, notoriety and strong connections in the Québec City business community, Simon Clément has emerged as the best candidate to take over the management of Lavery’s Québec City office and to drive its development. Although he is not leaving, but simply returning to active practice, I would like to thank Daniel Bouchard for his exceptional contribution. His ongoing commitment throughout the years, the projects and the challenges has been expressed through motivating leadership,” says Anik Trudel, CEO of Lavery.
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Lavery contributes to the international expansion of the entertainment industry
On December 2, Montreux Comedy and Groupe Juste pour rire (JPR) announced the establishment of an alliance between the two organizations. The aim of this historic collaboration between the two largest French-language comedy festivals in the world is to create original products and content on both sides of the Atlantic and to enable the co-production and co-promotion of an international French-language gala in Montréal and in Montreux, Switzerland. Lavery advised and represented Montreux Comedy in the drafting and negotiation of the agreement for this bold project, particularly on aspects related to the creation of content for digital and traditional broadcasting platforms. Sébastien Vézina, a partner in the Business Law group, handled the negotiations to reach the agreement, with the support of Andrée-Anne Perras-Fortin, a lawyer in the same group. "Lavery is proud to have contributed to finalizing the collaboration between two major players in the entertainment industry in Quebec and abroad. In a context where this industry is taking a major digital shift, this collaboration will increase the positioning and availability of French-language content on the market," says Sébastien Vézina.
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Béatrice Ngatcha appointed editor-in-chief of the Canadian Intellectual Property Review
We are pleased to announce that our professional, Béatrice Ngatcha, was appointed to the position of editor-in-chief of the Canadian Intellectual Property Review (CIPR) last September at the annual general meeting of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC). For a tenure of two years, her role as editor-in-chief will be to coordinate the review process and ensure that only high-quality articles are published. The CIPR is a journal for professionals working in intellectual property law. All submissions undergo a double-blind peer review process: the reviewers are not given the authors' identities and the reviewers' identities are shielded from the authors.
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Lavery assists La Granaudière in obtaining more than $50M in financing
Last October 28, La Granaudière announced that it has obtained more than $50M in financing from Ressources Québec, Investissement Québec and the Caisse Desjardins du Nord de Lanaudière. A team from Lavery represented the three lenders involved in the transaction and with respect to the relations between the various stakeholders in order to successfully complete this project, which will be a showcase for the renewable energy industry in Québec. This financing will enable La Granaudière, a plant producing wood pellets from forest biomass, to complete the construction of its plant by the summer of 2020 and to start producing wood pellets and exporting them to Europe by the end of 2020. The plant will produce nearly 200,000 tonnes of pellets annually, and should create about 180 direct and indirect jobs, including roughly 50 at the production plant in Saint-Michel-des-Saints. This mandate was successfully completed thanks to the extensive expertise of the Lavery team composed mainly by Étienne Brassard, Ali El Haskouri, Katerina Kostopoulos et Bernard Trang.
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Lavery Lawyers welcome 6 professionals in Business Law
Lavery is pleased to announce the arrival of six new professionals in Business Law. Marie-Josée Desjardins Marie-Josée Desjardins has joined the firm as a notary, whose practice is focused on real estate law. Pierre-André Hamel Pierre-André Hamel has joined the firm as an associate, practising primarily in commercial and transactional law, particularly in the areas of bank financing and real estate. Anne-Julie Loiselle Anne-Julie Loiselle has joined the firm as an associate and works mainly in transactional law, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate law. Selena Lu Selena Lu has joined the firm as a partner. Her practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and the drafting of standard contracts, including leases, franchise agreements, distribution agreements and financing agreements. Wiam Mahroug Wiam Mahroug has joined the firm as an associate, concentrating her practice in securities law and mergers and acquisitions. Vicky Trépanier Vicky Trépanier has joined the firm as counsel and advises medium and large privately held companies and entrepreneurs regarding mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate finance and governance issues.
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Alain M. Leclerc and Serge Shahinian are recognized as leading patent agents by IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals
Alain M. Leclerc and Serge Shahinian, partners in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, have been recognized as leading patent agents in the eighth edition of the directory IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals. This distinction was determined, among other things, through exhaustive peer-reviewed surveys. The professionals are ranked in the directory based on a recognition of market share, exceptional skills, and in-depth knowledge of patent matters.
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Josianne Beaudry appointed to the board of directors of the Québec Mineral Exploration Association (QMEA)
At the annual meeting of QMEA members held during the Xplor 2019 convention, our professional, Josianne Beaudry, was appointed to the board of directors of the organization. The Québec Mineral Exploration Association is a non-profit organization representing the stakeholders in Québec’s mining sector. Its mission is to promote sustainable and responsible mining exploration and demonstrate its contribution to Québec’s economy. This appointment not only testifies to the expertise of Josianne Beaudry in Mining Law, but, more generally, recognizes her involvement in the industry.
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Lavery helps Chronometriq obtain $20 million in funding
On October 1, Chronometriq, a Montréal-based supplier of technology that facilitates healthcare access and patient communications, announced that it had received more than $20 million in funding from Full In Partners. This funding will enable our client Chronometriq to strengthen its leadership position in Canada and drive its growth in the United States. Lavery played a significant role in representing Chronometriq’s interests throughout this transaction and helped it take on the kinds of challenges high-growth startups face when negotiating major funding. Chronometriq, founded in 2012, was named one of the 25 most innovative companies by C2 Montréal. It is now a leader in digital healthcare management, thanks to its range of comprehensive appointment management products suited to both clinics and patients. In the past year alone, Chronometriq has served 12 million users through the network of North American clinics that use its products. This mandate was successfully completed thanks to the extensive expertise of the Lavery team led by Jean-François Maurice and made up of Éric Gélinas, Felicia-Yifan Jin, Ali El Haskouri, Tina Basile, Guillaume Laberge, Florence Fournier, Shereen Cook and Pierre-Olivier Valiquette.
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Lavery Lawyers announces arrival of Selena Lu as partner
Lavery is very proud to announce the arrival of Selena Lu as a partner at the firm. Selena has been a member of the Barreau du Québec since 2010. Her practice focuses on commercial law and mergers and acquisitions. She frequently advises clients abroad on investment and expansion in Canada. “Selena is dynamic and committed. We’re proud of her undeniable leadership qualities and strong reputation in the business community. Her arrival strengthens our corporate law team and expands our client base,” said Anik Trudel, CEO of Lavery. “I’ve had the privilege of working with Selena for several years, most recently on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, where she demonstrates a strong character that aligns perfectly with our firm’s vision of being a leader in the legal services industry.” In addition to her practice, Selena Lu is President of the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal (JCCM) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés and the Musée National des beaux-arts du Québec. Her noteworthy involvement in the Chinese community has earned her several distinctions, including being named an Eminent Young Overseas Chinese by the Chinese Consulate in Montréal in 2015.
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Lavery supports Neuvoo in obtaining $53M in financing from the CDPQ
On September 19, 2019, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) announced a $53 million investment in Neuvoo, a company operating in 77 countries that is experiencing rapid growth in the field of job searches. This investment will allow it to continue its expansion into new markets and improve its online platform through artificial intelligence. Lavery is proud to have assisted Neuvoo with its legal and commercial needs since the company's very beginning, when it was a member of its Lavery GO Inc. program. This is a concrete example of Lavery GO Inc.'s raison d'être: to drive the success of emerging companies and help them move from start-up to growth.
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Judith Rochette made a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL)
Lavery is pleased to announce that Judith Rochette, a partner in the Litigation and Conflict Resolution group, has been awarded the title of Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL). "I receive this honour with pride, but also with gratitude to those who have been a part of my work over the past 30 years. I feel extremely privileged to join the ranks of this prestigious association of trial lawyers, and in doing so, to be affiliated with colleagues and partners for whom I have the greatest respect," says Ms. Rochette. The receipt of this award is a testament to Ms. Rochette's expertise and recognizes her impeccable professionalism and the reputation she has built in her practice. She is entering an organization made up of the top internationally recognized trial lawyers, which is dedicated to preserving the highest standards of trial practice, administration of justice and ethics in the profession.