This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
-
Luc Thibaudeau of Lavery, speaker at the eCOMMTL Convention
Mr. Luc Thibaudeau, a Litigation partner at Lavery, acted as speaker at the eCOMMTL Convention that was held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal on April 23-24, 2014. During his conference entitled “Les aspects légaux reliés au commerce électronique”, Mr. Thibaudeau discussed various subjects of interest, such as the applicable laws, recent case law, B2B and B2C, the Consumer Protection Act, cross-border issues and payments processing.Since 2011, eCOMMTL has been drawing hundreds of participants, including entrepreneurs, representatives from various industries and renowned speakers, who have developed an interest in consumer behavior in an environment that is increasingly defined by technologies and e-business.
-
Marie-Claude Armstrong, Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers
Lavery is pleased to announce that the Honourable Marie-Claude Armstrong, a former Litigation partner at the firm who was appointed as a Judge to the Superior Court of Québec on April 10, 2014, was named a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) during an induction ceremony that was held on April 22, 2014.The ceremony was chaired by the ACTL president, Mr. Robert L. Byman. It included Mr. Jeffrey S. Leon, a member of the ACTL Board of Regents, Mr. Sylvain Lussier, representative for Quebec, and other ACTL members, such as Mr. Michel Robert, former Chief Justice of Quebec, the Honourable Michel Yergeau, judge of the Superior Court of Québec, as well as Ms. Suzanne-Hélène Pringle, Ms. Suzanne Côté and Ms. Marie-Josée Hogue.Founded in 1950, the American College of Trial Lawyers comprises the best trial lawyers from the United States and Canada. The ACTL is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession.
-
Appointment of Marie-Claude Armstrong of Lavery to the Superior Court of Québec
Lavery is very pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Marie-Claude Armstrong, a Litigation partner with our firm, as a Judge of the Superior Court of Québec, as of April 11, 2014.Ms. Armstrong was a leader in our Family, Personal and Estate Law team. Throughout the years, she has forged a solid reputation in family, estate and trust law litigation as well as in matters pertaining to the institution of protective supervision, the homologation of mandates in anticipation of incapacity, patrimony protection and pension plans.Author and coauthor of several publications, she was also a renowned speaker. Moreover, her expertise has been recognized in various legal directories, such as The Best Lawyers in Canada directory where she is recognized as Lawyer of the Year 2014 in Family Law in Montreal as well as in The Canadian Legal LEXPERT® Directory 2013 in the field of Family Law.The appointment of Ms. Armstrong to the bench pursues a long tradition of judicial appointments that have led Lavery to be considered "a seedbed of judges" in the legal community.
-
Nicolas Gagnon of Lavery, speaker at the Advanced Conference on the management of claims and litigation in the construction industry
Mr. Nicolas Gagnon, a partner in Lavery’s Construction and Surety Law team, acted as speaker at the Advanced Conference on the management of claims and litigation in the construction industry that was organized by the Canadian Institute and held in Montreal on April 2-3, 2014.The presentation in which Mr. Gagnon took part was entitled “Mise au point sur les appels d’offres : jurisprudence récente, mise à jour législative et meilleures pratiques”. The subject matters discussed by the speakers included the preparation of requests for proposals (RFPs) in the light of recent case law, the elements of content that should be part of every RFP in order to counter collusion, good ethical practices and the impact of the Charbonneau Commission on the claims process.
-
Pierre Marc Johnson of Lavery, speaker in the Série Enjeux of Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec
Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, G.O.Q., FRSC, counsel at Lavery and former Premier of Quebec, gave a conference entitled “Commerce transatlantique : quelles opportunités pour le Québec ? ” on April 9, 2014 as part of the Série Enjeux organized by Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec (MEQ).Mr. Johnson’s conference focused on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union, particularly the business opportunities offered to Quebec because of its geographical position between Europe and America. Mr. Johnson is chief negotiator for the Government of Quebec in the CETA process.For more information (in French), click here.
-
Marie Cossette of Lavery comments the beginning of the trial of former Lieutenant Governor of Québec, Lise Thibault
On April 9, 2014, Ms. Marie Cossette, a Litigation partner at Lavery and the coordinator of the firm’s Corporate and Business Integrity team , was a guest on the radio program Radio-Canada cet après-midi and Radio-Canada’s television program Le téléjournal Québec, both broadcasted in Quebec City, to comment the beginning of the trial of former Lieutenant Governor of Québec, the Honourable Lise Thibault.Recognized for her long-standing experience in public law and integrity matters, Ms. Cossette discussed several issues related to Lise Thibault’s trial that began on April 9 in Quebec City on charges of fraud, breach of trust and forgery, including the four-year delay between the charges laid and the opening of the trial, the concept of Crown immunity, the on-going civil and criminal proceedings in this case as well as the right of recourse of defendants to protect their rights.
-
Katia Opalka of Lavery quoted in National magazine, a publication of the Canadian Bar Association
Ms. Katia Opalka, an Environmental and Aboriginal Law partner at Lavery, was quoted in a recent issue of National magazine, in an article focusing on the Crown’s duty to consult aboriginal peoples.According to Ms. Opalka, if the Crown fails to fulfill this duty in advance of authorizing a project on lands subject to aboriginal claims, the validity of project authorizations may be called into question. This risk needs to be minimized in order for project proponents to attract the investment they need to bring their projects into production.To read this article, click here.
-
Pierre Marc Johnson of Lavery, speaker at the PwC Canada series Les soupers des dirigeants
Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, G.O.Q., FRSC, counsel at Lavery and former Premier of Quebec, was the first guest speaker to launch the series Les soupers des dirigeants organized by PwC Canada’s French Desk. The event was held in Montreal on April 1, 2014. These dinner conferences are particularly intended for the senior executives of French corporations with operations in Canada.During this dinner, Mr. Johnson gave an address on the key issues of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. Mr. Johnson acts as chief negotiator for the Government of Quebec with regards to this international agreement.
-
Cominar completes the re-opening of its offering of 4.941% Series 4 debentures in the amount of $100 million
On March 7, 2014, Cominar Real Estate Investment Trust completed the re-opening of its offering 4.941% Series 4 senior unsecured debentures due July 27, 2020 in the principal amount of $100 million. The debentures were offered at a price of $1,028.41 per $1.000 principal amount of debentures, plus accrued and unpaid interest for the period from and including January 27, 2014 to, but excluding, the date of the closing of the offering. The effective yield of the debentures (if held to maturity) is 4.425% per annum. The debentures were sold by a syndicate of agents co-led by National Bank Financial Inc. and BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., including RBC Dominion Securities Inc., Desjardins Securities Inc., CIBC World Markets Inc., Scotia Capital Inc. and TD Securities Inc. The syndicate of agents was represented by a team from Lavery consisting of Marc Rochefort, Michel Servant, Guillaume Lavoie and Maxime Bergeron (corporate and securities), and Philip Nolan (tax). Cominar is the third largest diversified real estate investment trust in Canada and currently remains the largest commercial property owner in the Province of Québec.
-
Katia Opalka of Lavery, panelist at a symposium organized by the Young Bar Association of Montreal
Ms. Katia Opalka, an environmental and Aboriginal law partner at Lavery, took part in a panel entitled “What’s next for lawyers with 5 to 7 years of practice and how to prepare for the future?” during a symposium that was held on March 21, 2014.Organized by the Young Bar Association of Montreal (YBAM), the Career Management and Professional Development Symposium included a series of talks designed to help young lawyers achieve success in their careers.
-
Yvan Biron of Lavery, speaker in the Série Expertises d’ici of Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec
Mr. Yvan Biron, a Business Law partner at Lavery, gave a conference entitled “Réglementation environnementale : mieux comprendre les parties prenantes” as part of the Série Expertises d’ici organized by Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec (MEQ).Mr. Biron’s conference focused mainly on the growing requirements with regards to environmental issues and the need for businesses to fully understand the various stakeholders, including government departments and municipalities, to respond to their expectations and maximize company performance.
-
Édith Jacques of Lavery appointed to the Board of Directors of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
Ms. Édith Jacques, a Business Law partner at Lavery, was recently appointed on the Board of Directors of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, an organization created in 1871 and focused on supporting manufacturing and exporting businesses to make them more competitive on local and international markets.Ms. Jacques has been sitting on the Board of Directors of Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec for a few years, including as Vice-Chair for the last two years.