This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Five new members join Lavery’s ranks
Lavery is delighted to welcome Julien Ducharme, Jessyca Duval, Anyssa Lacoste, Chloé Béland and Anne-Sophie Paquet. Julien Ducharme – Senior Associate Julien Ducharme joins our Business Law team on September 3. His practice focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, commercial law and corporate financing. In this role, Julien represents and assists small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), multinational corporations and institutional investors in connection with diversified commercial operations and large-scale business projects. “With a team comprised of individuals as experienced in their respective fields as they are driven by human and professional values essential to creating a stimulating work environment conductive of surpassing oneself, my return to Lavery after several years abroad was a natural decision. I look forward to contributing concretely to the success of businesses operating in Quebec as their trusted business partner.” Jessyca Duval – Senior Associate Jessyca joins our Labour and Employment Law group and the Litigation group. As part of her practice, she advises employers on all legal aspects relating to human resources management and matters relating to occupational injury, in addition to representing employers before various administrative tribunals and ordinary courts of law. “I decided to join Lavery's team for their passionate and dedicated professionals, whose recognized skills and commitment make every collaboration not only rewarding, but genuinely enjoyable.” Chloé Béland - Associate Chloé is a member of the Labour and Employment Law group. She advises employers on hiring and terminating employees, developing and implementing employment-related policies, psychological harassment, human rights, occupational health and safety, and labour standards. “In my opinion, Lavery not only embodies innovation, expertise and excellence in the legal field, but is also a Quebec success story. Lavery deeply values team spirit and collaboration, which are essential values for delivering quality legal services and meeting high client expectations. The diversity of labour and employment law cases was also a key factor in attracting me to Lavery. I’ll be able to continue growing my skills and developing creative solutions to complex challenges at Lavery, while taking a human-centred approach. But what really convinced me to join Lavery were the passionate and inspiring lawyers I had the pleasure of meeting. Their warm, human approach resonates perfectly with my values. The friendly conversations I had reinforced my conviction that I’ll feel at home in this team.” Anyssa Lacoste – Associate Anyssa is a member of the Labour and Employment Law group. She supports and represents her clients in a wide range of expertise, from drafting employment contracts to administrative recourses, implementing work policies and regulations and amending working conditions. “I decided to join Lavery because of the firm’s reputation and expertise. Right from the start, I felt the firm had the values I was looking for in an employer. I am convinced that Lavery will contribute to my professional and personal development.” Anne-Sophie Paquet - Associate Anne-Sophie Paquet is a lawyer practising in the Business Law group and a member of the firm’s tax law team. She advises and supports her clients in the planning, analysis and implementation of tax structures and strategies, in particular for business transactions. “I chose to join Lavery because of the excellence of its team and because I was looking for a dynamic work environment that fostered collaboration. Joining the firm gives me the opportunity to support a diverse clientele in achieving their goals.”
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Lavery announces appointment of Paul Martel, a leading expert in corporate law
Mr. Martel is recognized for his ability to provide pragmatic, innovative solutions to the most complex legal issues in corporate law. He was a law professor for over 25 years and has contributed to most major corporate law journals, including La Revue du Barreau du Québec. “I’m so pleased and excited to be starting the fifth chapter of my professional career at Lavery, a firm I hold in high esteem. I look forward to putting my expertise to good use with the firm’s clients, as well as helping to consolidate the multidisciplinary service offering for which Lavery is renowned in the legal and business markets,” said Paul Martel, partner at Lavery. As a leading expert in corporate law, and a respected teacher, lecturer and author, he regularly advises government authorities on major legislative changes, including those to the Civil Code of Québec, Quebec’s Companies Act, the Canada Business Corporations Act and the Act respecting the legal publicity of enterprises. He has also acted as a consultant to the Minister of Finance of Quebec in developing and drafting the new Business Corporations Act, and to the Agence du Revenu du Québec in updating the Quebec Enterprise Register. “Paul Martel has authored several landmark legal works on corporate law, and his outstanding track record and extensive expertise in the legal and business industries of Quebec, Canada and the United States will further strengthen the quality of Lavery’s services in this area of practice. He will certainly be a great inspiration to us all, and his presence at the firm will have a major impact on our teams, as he assists our Business Law group,” concluded René Branchaud, Head of practice of Lavery’s Business Law group.
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Lavery involved in the construction of the new Île-aux-Tourtes bridge
Following a qualification process, the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable du Québec (MTMD) issued a call for tenders in 2022 for the construction of the new Île-aux-Tourtes bridge pursuant to the project delivery method known as design-build-finance (DBF). Since this was a DBF, the financing of this project had to be included in the proposals made by the selected candidates. Lavery represented the successful consortium made up of Dragados Canada Inc., Roxboro Excavation Inc. and Construction Demathieu & Bard Inc. Our role required expertise in the following areas: (a) Governance and corporate law (b) Project financing (banking and securities) (c) Public procurement (d) Construction law (e) Commercial agreements (f) Taxation Lavery represented the consortium from the call for proposals to the financial close, including the drafting phase leading up to the awarding of the contract to the consortium. The financing was the most complex part of this transaction. Under the hybrid approach retained for that project, a major credit facility to be granted by a bank syndicate had to be set up, as well the private placement of two tranches of bonds. This involved adjusting the rights and obligations of creditors on both sides within a sophisticated intercreditor agreement. The financing also required parent company guarantees, including from French and Spanish corporations, which required us to find common ground to accommodate the typical requirements of a North American financing and the specific corporate and commercial features applicable in France and Spain. To meet this challenge, we put together a multidisciplinary team, divided up the work in accordance with our professionals’ diverse expertises, and dedicated a team member exclusively to interactions with the MTMD, its lawyers and the issuers of performance bonds typical for this kind of projects. Sound project management practices were essential to the success of this team effort. It is a privilege for Lavery to have participated in this essential project allowing the people of Quebec to obtain a new bridge linking the regions of Montérégie and Montréal. The Lavery team was led by Josianne Beaudry, Nicolas Gagnon, Édith Jacques, David Tournier and André Vautour, and included Véronik Bonneville-Pesant, Katerina Kostopoulos, Jean-François Maurice, Joseph Gualdieri, Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil, Alexandre Turcotte, Luc Pariseau, Charles Hugo Gagné, Mickaël Pageau, Jean-Vincent Prévost-Bérubé and Yohann Lévy.
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Lavery assists Fancamp Exploration Ltd. in a joint venture agreement with Platinex Inc.
On March 13, 2023, Fancamp Exploration Ltd. (Fancamp) officially announced that it had entered into a joint venture agreement with Platinex Inc. (Platinex) to further explore and promote certain gold mining properties located in Ontario and owned by the two entities. The transaction involved Fancamp transferring its Heenan Mallard and Dorothy mining properties to South Timmins Mining Inc. (Goldco), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Platinex, in exchange for shares representing 25% of Goldco's issued and outstanding shares and a 1% royalty on the properties to Platinex. The transaction also included a shareholder agreement providing for the governance of Goldco's activities. Fancamp subscribed for a number of shares representing 9.5% of Platinex's issued and outstanding shares. Lavery was privileged to represent Fancamp in this important mandate led by Jean-Paul Timothée and Alexandre Turcotte. -- Fancamp is a growing Canadian mineral exploration corporation dedicated to its value-added strategy of advancing its priority mineral properties through exploration and innovative development. The corporation owns numerous mineral resource properties in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick, where it mines chromium sector, strategic rare-earth metals, gold, zinc, titanium and other resources. To learn more about Fancamp, go to: https://www.fancamp.ca
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Lavery assists Agendrix in obtaining two ISO certifications for data security and privacy
On February 6, 2023, Agendrix, a workforce management software company, announced that it had achieved certification in two globally recognized data security and privacy standards, ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and ISO/IEC 27701:2019. This made it one of the first staff scheduling and time clock software providers in Canada to obtain these certifications. The company is proactively engaging in all matters related to the security and confidentiality of the data processed by its web and mobile applications. The ISO/IEC 27001:2013 standard is aimed at improving information security systems. For Agendrix’s customers, that means its products comply with the highest information security standards. ISO/IEC 27701:2019 provides a framework for the management and handling of personal information and sensitive data. This certification confirms that Agendrix follows best practices and complies with applicable laws. A Lavery team composed of Eric Lavallée, Dave Bouchard, Ghiles Helli and Catherine Voyer supported Agendrix in obtaining these two certifications. More specifically, our professionals assisted Agendrix in the review of their standard contract with their customers, as well as in the implementation of policies and various internal documents essential to the management of personal information and information security. Agendrix was founded in 2015, and the Sherbrooke-based company now has over 150,000 users in some 13,000 workplaces. Its personnel management software is a leader in Quebec in the field of work schedule management for small and medium-sized businesses. Agendrix’s mission is to make management more human-centred by developing software that simplifies the lives of front-line employees. Today, the company employs more than 45 people.
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Lavery's expertise recognized by Chambers Canada 2021
Lavery has been recognized in the following fields as a leader in the 2021 edition of the Chambers Canada guide: Corporate/Commercial (Québec Band 1, Highly Regarded) Employment and Labour (Québec Band 2) Energy and Natural Resources: Mining (Nationwide Band 5) The lawyers and law firms profiled in Chambers Canada are selected following through a rigorous process of research and interviews with a broad spectrum of lawyers and their clients. The final selection is based on clearly defined criteria such as the quality of client service, legal expertise, and commercial astuteness. Learn more about our professionals who have once again been recognized in Chambers Canada Guide 2021..
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Our Professionals Demonstrate Once Again They Are Leaders in Chambers Canada Guide 2021
René Branchaud, Guy Lavoie, Jean-Philippe Turgeon and Sébastien Vézina have been recognized as leaders in their respective areas of practice in the 2021 edition of the Chambers Canada guide. Areas of expertise in which they are recognized: René Branchaud: Energy and Natural Resources: Mining Guy Lavoie: Labour and Employment Law Jean-Philippe Turgeon: Franchising Sébastien Vézina: Energy and Natural Resources: Mining The lawyers and law firms profiled in Chambers Canada are selected following through a rigorous process of research and interviews with a broad spectrum of lawyers and their clients. The final selection is based on clearly defined criteria such as the quality of client service, legal expertise, and commercial astuteness. Learn more about the areas of expertise that Lavery has been recognized by Chambers Canada 2021..
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Lavery Lawyers representing Groupe Sélection in the acquisition of the Molson brewery site in Montréal
On June 28, a consortium made up of Groupe Sélection, Montoni and the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ announced that it had officially acquired the Molson brewery land on Notre-Dame St. in Montréal. Lavery Lawyers, which has advised Groupe Sélection for many years, had the opportunity to play a significant role by representing Groupe Sélection’s interests in this $126 million transaction. "We are pleased to honour the trust that Groupe Sélection has placed in our firm’s expertise for more than 15 years, through the completion of the purchase of the Molson property. Through our business relationship, Groupe Sélection has also given us the privilege of contributing to the transformation and development of this part of the city of Montréal, which is so rich in historical and symbolic value," says Étienne Brassard, Business Law Partner at Lavery Lawyers.
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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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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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Julie Cousineau Lecturer at the 2016 Annual Review of the Commercial Litigation Case Law of the ABC-Quebec
On February 17, 2017, Julie Cousineau, a partner of our Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group, was the guest speaker at the 2016 Annual Review of Commercial Litigation Jurisprudence organized by the Canadian Bar Association, Quebec Branch (CBA-Quebec). This event gathered over 50 attendees, to hear speakers exchanged on last year’s case law and various subjects of commercial litigation.
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Spectra Premium Industries: Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Fondaction CSN, and Fonds de solidarité FTQ acquire $45 million interest in its share capital
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), Fondaction CSN, and Fonds de solidarité FTQ acquired interest in the share capital of Spectra Premium, a North American leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of automotive components for the aftermarket. This transaction will enable Spectra Premium not only to maintain ownership of the company in Quebec by reorganizing its share ownership but also to continue its expansion in North America and in global markets. The Caisse invested $28.3 million, while Fondaction CSN invested $15 million. The Fonds de solidarité FTQ, main shareholder of Spectra Premium, injected an additional $2 million into the company. A Lavery team represented Spectra Premium in this transaction. The group was lead by Luc Pariseau and included Richard Burgos, Raphaël Bacal (commercial law), and Jean-Philippe Latreille (taxation).